The Rush
by Poison Tonic LX
Summary: He wondered if the rush she got saving lives and defeating villains was as fulfilling as the rush he got pulling off another successful heist. He wondered what the rush would be like...and if he should try being on the other side of the law...FINISHED
1. The Prologue

_**Blanket Disclaimer:** Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse_

Caleb is an old Hebrew name meaning 'bold one'.

Well, it's a very good name to describe me, though I think my parents probably didn't know that when they named me. Mayhap it's a good dose of god's love for irony.

The point is, that's my name.

Caleb Dawson.

Such a boring, ordinary name, wouldn't you say?

Surely not the name of someone like me—someone who has outsmarted the best of the best, the greatest of the great, the smartest of the smart…and so on and so forth.

But then again, there aren't very many great people who have wondrous names, are there?

Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar, Adolph Hitler…none of these were extraordinary names until after their owners proved them to be great.

Caleb Dawson will never be considered a great name, though I have proven myself to be great hundreds of times.

Why, you ask?

Because, you see, Caleb Dawson never did any of those things.

The one who did those things…was a marvelous thief called Red X.

I know what you're thinking…you're thinking I'm an arrogant fool. That I'll be stopped in my proverbial tracks by some great hero and taken down to size.

Ah…that's the story I'm going to tell you.

Because, although it was Red X who was the greatest thief anyone had ever known, perhaps with the sole exception of Slade, it was Caleb Dawson who fell in love.

Red X didn't _do_ emotions. He was a thief—what need did he have of such trivial things, when there were such nicer, better paying things to be had?

Ironically, the one who showed Red X—or rather, Caleb Dawson—that emotions weren't such bad things…was someone who shared his belief that they were pointless.

But that will come later.

_A/N: I have already received a comment on using Adolph Hitler as one of the greats on the list in the above prologue. I meant no offense, am as American as can be, and hate Hitler as much as the next person. However, (1) this list is supposed to have been compiled by Red X, a **criminal**, and (2) although Hitler was a Grade A Jerk and did terrible things, he was a great man. Not great in the sense that he was an all around good guy, because everyone knows he most certainly was not. But he was a great motivational speaker and leader. He was also 'great' in the sense that his legacy, both good (leadership, tactics, etc.) and bad (the Holocaust, obviously), will be remembered by everyone. In fact, he was made '_Motivational Speaker of the Year_' by **Times Magazine** in the late 30's. Anyone here who has read the HP books should remember Ollivander's quote: '_Terrible, yes, but great_'. Please disregard the use of his name if it offends you, as it probably does. He seemed like the type of **tactician** a person like the X in my story would, in some respects (**tactics ONLY**), admire. Again, I didn't mean to offend anyone, and I'm definitely NOT a Nazi._


	2. The Battle

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

The rush.

That's why he stole, he knew. It wasn't glory, or power, or even money (although those things were, of course, definite pluses).

No, it was the rush he felt when he knew he'd pulled off another perfect heist and gotten away…

"Titans, GO!"

…Or gotten very close to getting away, in any case.

He cursed under his breath, pulled out one of the infamous red X's that had given him his name, and threw it at a large green bird (actually, it looked to be a pterodactyl, but at least it was a sizeable flying creature of some sort), an immense, impenetrable (he hoped) net springing from it and wrapping around the animal, taking it to the ground.

"BOOYAH!"

He turned towards the cry just in time to duck out of the way of a bright blue beam, which nearly took him out in spite of his dodge, nicking his arm. He cursed again and threw another device at the Metal Man, smirking behind his mask when he heard the satisfying electrical crackle meaning the half-robot was out of commission…for the time being.

"You shall not harm my friends or anyone else any longer!" A barrage of green energy bolts followed the high-pitched screech, and again he had barely enough time to dodge them, though this time he escaped unscathed.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes once that particular danger had been averted—the alien chick always seemed to yell _something_ of that sort, and he always seemed to pop up again to prove her wrong…not that _he_ was complaining, mind you.

He threw an X at her, hoping to incapacitate her as easily as the other two, but the device was intercepted by a black shadow, which then easily destroyed it.

A sigh. Nothing was going his way this night, it seemed.

He leapt out of the way of a shadow-encompassed dumpster, shooting a glare at his attacker, closely followed by another X, though it was dodged, much to his chagrin.

"Looks like you're getting slow in your old age, X." Another of those annoying encumbrances stated as a disc was thrown at him, exploding after a single skip on the concrete.

He jumped out of harm's way and frowned at the speaker, but kept an annoyingly smug tone in his voice. "I made it this far without running into you, didn't I, kid? Used to be a time you'd have met me on my way out of the building, at least. I'm nearly a block away now." He sneered.

The Kid scowled, then went flying back with a red X wrapped around his middle, locking his arms to his side.

"Now who's getting old?" He mocked.

"You are!" Another volley of those bothersome starbolts, but this time no shadows saved their mistress from his X, and she, too, fell.

"Just you and I, now, Sorceress." He smirked at her.

"So it would seem." She drawled, her hands glowing black.

He tossed an X in her general direction, anticipating where she would dodge to (correctly, it may be added) and throwing himself into that spot.

Unfortunately for him, she turned out to be much better at hand-to-hand than he'd expected.

Certainly she had improved since last they'd fought, though it wasn't nearly the same style as any of her teammates' (the Kid and the Metal Man in particular) like he would have expected.

"Well, this isn't an altogether unpleasant surprise." He decided out loud when he found himself pinned to the ground by the Sorceress.

A frown tugged at her lips (which were much nicer than he'd expected—very full and at the time looking very, very tempting), but she didn't move, instead pushing him harder against the ground, gravel digging into his back. "Not unpleasant, perhaps, but increasingly uncomfortable, I bet." She said, voice as deadpan as always, though her eyes sparked with an indignant fire.

"My dear Raven, who could be uncomfortable with such a lovely young woman straddling their middle?" He asked, his grin widening when he saw her blush lightly.

Then her eyes narrowed, and in one quick movement she'd turned him over, now making his face become much better acquainted with Mother Earth. "Do shut up."

He chuckled. "Not used to being told the truth? You are lovely…gorgeous, in fact. And so very powerful…it's too bad you're on the wrong side."

"You're the one on the wrong side." There was a clicking noise indicating the handcuffs being attached his wrists.

"Mayhap I am." He did a fancy turn he'd learned after many years of experience and practice, and the cuffs fell to the floor. He pulled his mask up far enough to show his mouth, then leaned forward and softly kissed those oh-so-enticing lips, pulling the mask back down and smiling at her. "For now, though, I can't accompany you to the other side. Until next time, darling."

He pressed a button on his belt, and with a sickening jerk was suddenly out of the street, away from the Sorceress and her friends, and in his rather desolate home base.


	3. The Life

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

Considering what a great thief he was, his living quarters were not the best to be had.

It was a small house on the edge of Jump City with a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen, which in turn connected to a tiny space with a TV and desk that many would have called the 'family room' if he had had a family. As it was, though, he didn't.

But these sparse lodgings were all he needed. He was only home when planning another heist anyhow, so what need did he have for a lavish home?

Besides, people would have found it highly suspicious if he, of all people, had suddenly come into enough money to purchase such a home.

At this point, some background information may be needed in order for you to understand the above statement:

Caleb Dawson (alias Red X) was orphaned at five years of age.

It's not important how his parents died. In fact, he had no recollection of ever knowing or being told how he'd come to be at the orphanage where his first memories were made.

Maybe his parents had abandoned them. Maybe he had been kidnapped. Maybe they had died.

The point is, when his story begins at five years old, he was in an orphanage, with no parents or relatives (or even memories) to speak of.

The woman running the orphanage was a tyrant, only giving her charges enough to live, and not a bit more, though she got enough money from the government to give them _much_ more.

Caleb had hated the orphanage and its autocratic headmistress from the first moment he could remember them, and so, after a scant month of putting up with it, he ran away.

He was quickly and easily caught and returned, but was not to be deterred, running away a ridiculous amount of times and being caught and returned accordingly.

Until, that is, he was six, when he finally made his escape, never to return to the orphanage.

He lived on the street after that.

He _tried_ to live off people's good will and things he scraped up around soup kitchens, but soon found that trying to live strictly by the law was a waste of time, and could even be considered suicide.

There would _never_ be enough kind people in the world to feed a homeless six-year-old boy.

And so it was that he turned to thievery.

It was awkward at first, but even in his earliest attempts he managed to escape unscathed, though not always without being caught.

Luckily, though, most of the people he stole from were kindly and understood, to some degree, why he stole. Many of them even gave him money to buy food.

Eventually, though (by the time he was eight, by his reckoning), he didn't get caught anymore.

When first he began stealing, it was only enough to live on. Sometimes, he didn't even steal a noticeable amount. It was discredited as miscounted change, or a few misplaced bills and coins.

But after a while, it seemed a waste to only use his talents for himself.

He started to steal for others, too—other penniless fools like himself who needed an extra coin or two in order to feed themselves, and in some cases their families. He stole enough for himself and a few others, then dropped the coins near where he saw some needy person.

Soon, that didn't satisfy him either, especially when someone saw him stealing and tried to make him steal exclusively for them.

He hadn't killed That Man like he had wanted to, but he _did_ hurt him, and escaped to another city where no one would recognize him.

He learned something from That Man, though—something he had known, but hadn't quite wanted to admit: some people (not all, but some) took advantage of others' misfortunes.

After the fiasco with That Man, he stopped giving to others, but he didn't stop stealing more than he needed. In fact, he started to steal even more than what he'd stolen before the incident.

When he was twelve, he pulled off the first heist not on some poor idiot stumbling the streets with a surplus of money in their wallet.

He was small for his age (always had been, in fact) and, thanking his lucky stars for his small stature (for once), crawled into the air vents of a manufacturing company and stole a rather valuable chip.

He sold the chip for a nice sum, and began to see the profit in doing big time jobs.

He took jobs from various sources.

At first, his employers were taken aback by his size, but his renown grew with each successful heist (and there were _only_ successful heists), until anyone and everyone was clamoring for him to do a job for them, and no one cared how small or young he was.

So it was, though not by any choice of his, that people began to call him the Shadow.

But then, when he was fifteen, he went to Jump City and saw something he decided he _must_ have for himself—it would be the first larger item he'd stolen for himself in all his time stealing.

It was a costume.

It once belonged to the brash leader of the Teen Titans—he preferred to call him the Kid, mostly referring to his inexperience stealing than his age (since the Kid was the same age as he, or thereabouts)—but almost as soon as it had been hung up and forgotten about…it belonged to him.

He was happy—it was amusing to see the Titans fret over the things he did, and at times he had to admit they could be quite a challenge, but the suit had been designed to thwart them, and it performed this job perfectly—and his experience and fighting skills were more than enough to take care of the Kid and overcome its other shortcomings.

He especially enjoyed flirting with the Dolt and making the Kid jealous, though in truth he wasn't at all interested in the naïve alien.

His sights were set on the other female Titan—the Sorceress.

He worked hard to figure out why he was so fixated on her. He'd spent most of the past years of his life making sure he felt nothing for anyone, so why this sudden obsession?

It was his first…crush...and it rather frightened him.

Certainly she was beautiful in her own dark, exotic way, but throughout his lifetime he'd seen much prettier, darker, and more exotic women.

He'd seen other women as emotionless as her...more so, even.

There were better fighters, better magicians, with better retorts and such.

So why her?

Was it that, although he _had_ seen all of those things, they had always been in different women?

She _was_ the first woman he'd met to possess all of these qualities—these things he found to be so intriguing and even sexy in their own right.

Or perhaps it was that, along with all these and in spite of her emotionless demeanor, she was also stubborn, fiery, and sarcastic to a fault?

Maybe it was because he wanted to be the first, even before her friends, to see her true smile?

...And to smile along with her?

(THE RUSH)

_Just in case anyone gets confused, since this is Red X's POV, he'll be calling the Titans by his own names for them in the narrative part of the story. Here's the key:_

_The Kid: Robin (obviously)_

_The Dolt: Starfire_

_The Sorceress: Raven (also obviously)_

_The Metal Man: Cyborg (do I have to say it?)_

_The Comic Relief: …If you haven't figured this out by now I'm not even going to bother…_


	4. The Wondering

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

He fingered the jewel in his hand—the jewel whose fault it was he'd been pinned to the ground by the fiery young Sorceress who had caught (and, so far, held) his attention.

This would be his last job for a while.

He already had enough saved up to take care of himself and even an entire family for quite some time, and the rush he'd gotten on this job would tide him over for a time.

But…he still wanted to see her.

And how could he do that without being Red X?

Certainly he couldn't approach her as Caleb Dawson—such an idea was ludicrous!

He wondered what she, the daughter of a demon, saw in playing super hero anyways.

It must have been boring—doing the same thing day in and day out with no reprieve.

Then again, his…job...was much the same, if on the opposite side of the spectrum.

He wondered if she got a rush.

He wondered what other reason she could have for doing what she did, if it wasn't the rush.

What was it like to have morals so strong you would put your life on the line for someone, and not even get paid with anything other than a place to stay and a few books and trinkets?

Granted, it was a _very_ nice place to stay, and there were _quite_ a few books and trinkets, but still he wondered.

He wondered if it was really morals that drove her.

He had heard what she said to Trigon the day he had finally been defeated (yes, he had been there. He, too, had escaped the strange spell that had turned the rest of the world into stone, though he would never divulge to anyone how he managed this feat). Perhaps she had been trying to prove to herself, and to her 'father' and the rest of the universe, that she was her own person, and wouldn't be forced to be dark in the sense that she was an evil being (because certainly she was dark in a manner of speaking).

Or, he wondered, perhaps it really was just a rush.

He wondered if the rush she got when saving lives and defeating villains was as fulfilling as the rush he got when he pulled off another successful heist (and as it was said before, there were _only_ successful heists, excluding the time he'd fallen out of Chang's lab—which had still been partially successful, in all actuality…just annoying).

Maybe, he wondered…maybe it was a mixture of all of these things, and even more things he didn't really feel like pondering.

He wondered what it would be like…the rush.

He wondered if he should try it…being on the other side of the law…the 'good', 'right' side…

He wondered if he could pull it off.

He smiled.

That settled it, then.

It would be a challenge, one he would set upon himself:

Pull off the super hero gig as successfully as his heists, and get close enough to the Sorceress to find out what so intrigued him about her.

…And…try to get her to truly smile…at him...

(THE RUSH)


	5. The Beginning

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

Of course, he couldn't show up at the Tower and expect them to welcome him with open arms just because he felt like experimenting to find the rush on their side of the line.

He would have to come up with _yet another_ alias.

A sigh escaped his lips.

How troublesome.

But…he set about the beginning of his experiment with a will.

Unsurprisingly, he still favored darker colors in his new costume:

A tattered black cloak that hardly reached his waist and wrapped around his neck rather like a scarf, a semi-loose burgundy shirt that laced up at the top, black fingerless gloves that reached halfway up his forearm, the upper parts like armor with crimson designs on it, a scarlet utility belt with similar designs in black, and black skintight pants tucking into matching steel-tipped boots (with more of the inscriptions and red laces up the sides).

This ensemble was made complete by a simple black eye mask, which allowed his messy auburn (almost black) hair to show (his hair color was part of why he had chosen black and red—it wasn't just because they were his favorite colors, or because they were the ones he had used for quite some time along with gray via his Red X costume).

Finished, he studied himself in the mirror.

He didn't _really_ look like a super hero, but then again, he didn't really look like a villain, either.

That, however, was a satisfactory look, seeing as he wasn't sure which he preferred just yet.

Now all that was left was a name…and gadgets…

He set to work on gadgets first, puzzling over the name as he worked.

The X theme would be quite conspicuous, of course, and there wasn't really a way or a need to modify the ready-made gadgets.

They had been made to incapacitate the Titans, after all, and he wanted to help them, not hinder them…for the time being, in any case.

Of course…he eyed some of his old things…some of them might come in handy.

But what would they look like? Discs were taken, bats were taken (he probably wouldn't have used them anyhow…), birds were taken, arrows were taken, X's were taken…

How annoying.

He would have to settle for something mediocre until something better could be found.

Now for a name…

Nothing stupid—he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he ended up with a name like 'the Shadow' again.

That had been far too embarrassing, even if he had only been a child at the time.

Decisions, decisions…

Well…since it was, after all, one of his main reasons for becoming a superhero…

_Yes_, he thought.

The Rush would do quite nicely…

Even if it was a bit cheesy.


	6. The Titans

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

He still couldn't just waltz up to the Tower and expect them to just take him in straight off the streets. He would have to prove himself somehow…

This little experiment _was_ becoming quite bothersome!

He set out into Jump City, locking his house up tightly behind him.

As if the heavens were smiling down on him, almost as soon as he got into the main part of town, three strange beings burst out of the bank, arms laden with bags of cash.

He himself had never robbed a bank, though a few of his prospective employers had asked him to. It had never really seemed like enough of a challenge…and besides, there were too many people during the day—_witnesses_—and at night the security was always deplorable, which meant pulling off a heist would be far too easy, which in turn meant there wouldn't be enough of a rush. Besides, the Titans might show up, and even the slight chance of being caught wasn't worth it for such a small-time heist—and a fight wouldn't be enough to make up for the lack of rush in the actual job.

No, he much preferred stealing from people or businesses.

He landed in front of the three, leaning boredly against his black bo-staff.

"Didn't your parents ever tell you it's not nice to take things that don't belong to you?" He drawled, smirking at the irony—on the other hand, as far as he could remember he had never had anyone at all to tell him stealing was wrong, much less parents.

"Yeah, but who listens to those idiots?" The girl, with pink hair and a strange costume, asked.

He shrugged. "Wouldn't know." Hmm…telling the truth (in a way) felt strange…a rush?

…Nope…

"Too bad, so sad. Get out of our way, you stinkin' loser!" Cackled a very small boy in green.

He arched an eyebrow at him. "You're rather rude. Isn't it past your naptime, kid?"

The boy growled, glaring at him. "Yeah, 'cause I've never heard _that_ one before! Move before I put _you_ to sleep!"

He smirked. "That's okay, I already had my nap. Thanks anyhow!" He threw a net at them, the girl and other boy dodging, but the little boy still got wrapped up in it.

The boy started cursing at him and struggling, even having a strange _thing_ appear out of his backpack, but, of course, it couldn't get through the metal the net was made of.

The girl snarled. "How's about a little bad luck?" She asked, tossing a pink spell at him.

He dodged it, as well as the crumbling portion of the building that tried to fall on him.

"Nice try, doll, but not nearly up to par." He said, tossing two daggers at her. Both spewed out an adhesive substance, one sticking to her hands and the other to her feet.

"Mammoth, get him!" The girl screeched as she attempted to get the stuff off her, only managing to knock herself over.

The huge man, the one that hadn't spoken yet, nodded and picked up a car, heaving it at him.

He started to dodge, then stopped when he saw it freeze in midair, encased in shadows.

"Dangit! The Titans!" The girl yelled angrily. "We almost got away!"

"We're still getting away!" The man exclaimed, scooping up her and the boy, and took off down the street, leaving the loot behind.

He frowned. They couldn't get away!

"Titans, get them!" The Kid yelled.

"I got this, kid. Back off!" He all but snarled, and twirled his bo-staff, quickly surmising the distance between himself and the receding trio before throwing the staff like a javelin at them, the device getting tangled in the man's legs and sending him toppling to the ground.

The man let out a pained howl as he fell forward and his face skidded hard across the asphalt, the staff twisting around his legs like cuffs.

"Too bad." He sighed. "Not much of a rush. Amateurs."

Maybe the Sorceress' reason wasn't the rush after all…how very boring.

But then, these guys didn't seem like much of anything anyhow, so maybe he should wait a while before deciding it was a complete waste of time.

"Amateur this!" the girl screeched, the adhesives falling away with a momentary burst of pink energy, and threw herself at him, sloppily punching and kicking.

He easily blocked her attacks, but then she added some of that energy, which surprised him for a moment as it stung his hands through his gloves.

He dropped and struck at her legs, shooting up and punching her when she jumped to avoid the kick. She grunted, but picked herself up and jumped at him again. This time when he kicked her, she was too slow to dodge or block it, and she stayed down, unconscious.

"That was irritating and pointless." He decided out loud, scowling at the fallen girl.

"Maybe, but it was freakin' awesome, dude!"

He turned towards the speaker, the Comic Relief.

"Thanks." He said slowly, biting back a sharp retort.

The Kid chuckled and held out a hand. "I'm Robin, and they're Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven. We're the Teen Titans. It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah…" He hesitantly shook the proffered hand, half expecting the Kid to have caught on to his act and attack him. "You can call me Rush."

"Rush, huh? Nice to meetcha, man." The Metal Man said, also offering a hand. Again, he took it.

"Yes! It is a pleasure to meet you! What is your favorite color? How did you learn to do all of those things? Will you be my new friend? Why do you not answer my questions? I am Starfire!" The Dolt squealed excitedly, giving him a tight bear hug, so tight he had the sudden sensation of being unable to breathe. Vaguely he wondered if she did this to everyone she met.

"I…can't…breathe…" He choked out.

"She has that effect on people." The Sorceress agreed monotonously. The way she said it made him unsure as to what exactly she meant (the dolt's looks, which to most would have been breathtaking (the pun made him wince), or her hugs), but of course that could also be contributed to the current and considerable lack of oxygen to his brain. Luckily, or perhaps predictably (she was a superhero, after all), she came to his rescue. "Starfire, stop hugging him before he runs out of air."

"Oh!"

He took a deep breath of air as he was released, waving a hand at the Sorceress to express his gratitude as he gasped for precious oxygen.

Once he'd regained his breath (the Titans politely waited for him to do so, apparently accustomed to this), he looked at the Dolt.

"Nice to meet you, too…though my ribs may not agree with me on that count." He heard the Sorceress try to hide a snicker, and inwardly grinned. "My favorite color is either red or black, that's my business, I suppose I can, and I should think that was obvious."

"Ah…New Friend Rush, I do not understand how your ribs could disagree with you?"

"He was just being sarcastic, Star." The Kid said, putting a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.

"I see! New Friend Rush will get along well with Friend Raven, yes?"

He saw the Sorceress scowl out of the corner of his eye.

"Just because we're both somewhat sarcastic doesn't mean we're automatically going to get along, Starfire." She deadpanned. "Besides, we don't know that he'll be around for any of us to get along with, do we?"

"She's right." The Kid said before the Dolt could speak (thankfully), and turned to him. "Rush, how would you like to be a Titan?"

He plastered a slightly confused expression on his face, smothering his glee lest the Sorceress get suspicious. "Be a Titan?" He asked.

"Yeah." The Metal Man said with a slight nod, and explained, "When we meet someone like you who's interested in helping people and has the means to do so, we invite them to be a Titan. That's how Titans East got put together."

"Because of an incident happening a while back, we'll have to ask you some questions, but you _should_ be okay." The Kid smiled at him.

"Oh." This wasn't going to be as easy as he'd thought. "Alright then. Ask away."

"Dude, we have to take you back to the Tower first." The Comic Relief said, laughing.

"But before that…Raven, you don't sense any ill will, do you?" They all looked at her.

The Sorceress paused thoughtfully, then shook her head. "He's harmless…to us." When she added this, he saw her give him a curious look, though no one else seemed to catch it.

"Great then!" The Kid's smile widened. "Do you have some way to get around? A car, maybe?"

"I have legs for a reason." He said, and then smirked when they blinked at him. "Kidding. I have a bike." He motioned at the sleek black motorcycle parked nearby, which had just barely escaped one of the pink haired chick's spells, if the melted light post beside it was any indication.

"Sweet." The Kid said, his tone implying that he would want to check out the bike later on. "Just follow us, then."

He nodded, and began readying himself for whatever questions they might ask when they reached the Tower.


	7. The Interrogation

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

"So, Rush, why d'you want to be a superhero?" The Kid asked.

He pondered this for a moment, unsure how to word his answer. Then, finally, he shrugged.

"The rush, I suppose." He said, though he'd been quite disappointed so far, and of course that wasn't the _entire_ reason…but they didn't need to know that.

"The…rush?" The Kid repeated skeptically.

"Adrenaline, kid. It's where the name comes from…the adrenaline rush you get when you're pushing yourself beyond your normal capabilities." He explained, bored, as he absent-mindedly fiddled with his retracted bo-staff.

The Kid looked at the Sorceress, who was peering at him as if she was delving into his very soul, which she may very well have been.

She shrugged. "He's telling the truth."

"Of course I am." He said, half indignantly. It was strange—for once in his life he _was_ being (mostly) truthful (to them), and the Kid didn't believe him!

But, the Kid nodded.

"Okay. Umm…why?" The Kid turned back to him.

He blinked. "Why…what?"

"What I mean is…why just because of the rush? Isn't there any other reason? To save people, to uphold justice, something?"

He cocked his head to one side, confused. "No. Does it matter? And if so, why does it matter what my reasons are so long as I _am_ helping people?" He asked curiously.

"I guess it doesn't, but…I've never met anyone being a superhero for such…selfish reasons."

He shrugged nonchalantly, leaning back into his chair and paying very close attention to the clacking of his bo-staff against the table. "You've never met a superhero like me before, then."

"I suppose…" The Kid said uncertainly before changing the subject. "Do you have any history with criminals of any sort?"

"Yes." He replied without hesitating.

The Titans gave him a surprised look.

"Really?" The Kid asked.

He nodded. "You could say that at times my methods are…questionable." He vaguely wondered what methods he was talking about. Certainly not superhero—he'd only just started that afternoon. But he was sure that even if he'd always been a superhero it would be true…probably. "I have contacts who owe me favors. But you don't have to worry about your secrets or whatever getting out through me. I won't tell them anything about you and vice versa. That, of course, is subject to change—for example, if I heard someone was planning to set off a large bomb in Jump City, I would be obligated to tell you. On the other hand, I have no such obligations towards them if you try to smoke them out or whatever, though I won't participate in any such thing should it deal with said contacts."

"What sorts of favors?" The Kid asked skeptically.

"Nothing illegal." A lie, of course. "And nothing that would obstruct justice, or anything like that." Another lie. Luckily, the Sorceress didn't seem to notice…or if she did, for some reason she was choosing not to speak up. "Just little things." …Mostly little things…depending on your definition of 'little', of course…

The Kid didn't seem quite satisfied, but dropped it with a look from the Sorceress.

Finally, another member of the team other than the Kid or the Sorceress spoke up.

The Dolt cleared her throat. "I wish to inquire as to where your place of coming from is, New Friend Rush?" She said sweetly.

His mouth twitched as he bit back his instinctive sharp retort of "_none of your :censored: business_."

Then, trying to think of an answer to give her, he realized… "I'm…not sure, actually."

This whole 'honesty' thing was _weird_…

"You do not know where you come from?" The Dolt gasped, hands on her cheeks.

He shook his head. "Hmm…I've lived in Jump on and off for a while now…five years or so, I think. Before that was Europe…no, first China and then Europe…then there was Metropolis, and before that Gotham," He couldn't help but glance at the Kid when he said this, "So that means the orphanage would've been in…Bludhaven. I think. And before that…" He trailed off, frowning.

"That's alright, it doesn't—"

Surprisingly, the Sorceress joined him in cutting the Metal Man off.

"If I/he stop(s) now it'll bug me/him all day." They chorused in almost perfect unison.

Everyone looked at the Sorceress, who blushed lightly and looked away, muttering something about having the same problem.

The Dolt giggled.

"Never mind that." The Kid said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Did you fight crime in all of those cities?"

"Hardly." He snorted automatically, and cleared his throat, quickly amending, "That is…I was a kid then, after all."

"That makes sense." The Kid nodded. "And you're an orphan?"

"I said as much, didn't I?" He rolled his eyes.

"What happened to your parents?" The Dolt asked with a breathless gasp.

"_That_ is none of your business." He snapped before he could stop himself.

"He's right, Starfire." The Sorceress agreed. "You shouldn't pry like that. It's obviously a sore subject for him—it would be for anyone."

He gave her a grateful nod, which she returned before asking a question of her own.

"You seem fairly new at this." He nodded. "Do you happen to remember your first…mission?"

His mouth twitched. Of course he remembered his first mission, it had been just a few minutes before, unless you counted the time he'd helped the Kid out in Dr. Chang's office.

Well…no, that wasn't it, technically…

"Ah…when I was a kid I helped people out a lot." Which was the truth, as long as you didn't delve too far into the fact that he had only really done so for more of a rush, and that he'd stolen from other folks in order to help the aforementioned people.

She nodded, motioning at him to continue.

He shrugged. "That's it, really. I guess it just stuck with me."

"Where did you learn to fight?" The Kid asked. "And where did you get all of your gadgets?"

He scowled deeply. "Look, what does _that_ have to do with anything? The point is I _can_ fight and I _do_ have weapons, and I _want_ to help people. That should be all you need to know."

"We just want to make sure you won't—"

"Betray your deepest, darkest secrets to the highest bidder?" He asked bitterly, narrowing his eyes. The 'Spanish Inquisition' thing was getting really old really fast, _and_ starting to grate on his last nerves. "I'm a lot of things, sure, and not all of them something to brag about, but a traitor has _never_ been one of them."

And that was actually the complete, Honest-to-God truth.

The Kid pursed his lips.

He stood. "I'll just leave. Nothing can be worth _this_."

"Sit." The Sorceress snapped.

Surprising himself, and everyone else, he did.

"You're taking this too far, Robin." The Sorceress said, frowning in the Kid's direction. "You've never been so meticulous before."

"He's the first new member we'll have gotten since…Terra—the second new member to stay in the Tower, if we make him a Titan. I just want to be careful."

"You're not being careful, you're being paranoid." She crossed her arms over her chest. "He's no Terra. Trust me this time. Like he said: he can fight, he has weapons, and he wants to help. The rest is just technicalities. You didn't know so much about the rest of us for _months_ after we put the Titans together. If and when he decides to tell us is his business."

The Kid's jaw set.

"I gotta agree with Rae on this one, Rob." The Metal Man said.

"We can't…we can't blame everyone else for what Terra did." The Comic Relief added softly. It was the first time he had ever heard the green shape shifter say anything remotely serious.

"Fine. We'll put you on the team temporarily, and if we like what we see, we'll take you on permanently." The Kid said, tossing him a communicator.

He nodded approvingly at the decision, but didn't put the communicator away. "You realize you don't have to make a decision right now. You could mull over it for a while."

As soon as he had said it, he wondered about what he was saying. He wanted to become a Titan, and now technically he was one…and he wanted them to be able to think on it?

"No. If Raven says you're okay…I'll trust her." The Kid said, and stood, all but storming out of the room.

The Dolt stood and flew after him with a cheerful wave; almost as if she hadn't noticed all of the tension the others had been feeling.

"Welcome to the Titans, Rush." The Metal Man clapped him hard on the back. Something in the tone of the half-robot's voice implied that he'd better not prove the Sorceress wrong.

Surprisingly, he wasn't planning on doing anything of the sort...mostly.

He just nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

The Metal Man nodded and left, saying something to the Comic Relief about a video game. The Comic Relief hurried to follow after, yelling about beating his bolts out, to which the Metal Man replied with a mockingly disbelieving laugh.

The Sorceress didn't say anything, just nodding at him.

He gave her a small smile, but she didn't seem to notice it, or if she did she didn't do anything to acknowledge it.

He sighed and started out of the room, thinking about all that had happened.

The Kid was an idiot sometimes (for example: choosing the Dolt over the Sorceress), but other times he seemed to be remotely intelligent.

Then again, he had heard of what had happened with that geokinetic chick a while back (she was the 'Terra' chick they'd mentioned a few times, he thought)—he had also heard that the Sorceress had warned them about her.

The Kid apparently had to learn common sense the hard way—never question the empath, for one, and never trust anyone at first, for two, especially if you were going to be trusting this person with secret codes and, in particular, your life. And lastly, don't trust someone new over someone you've known for quite a while longer.

But…he would give the Kid the benefit of the doubt.

After all, at least he _had_ learned from his mistakes.

A voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey Red."

(THE RUSH)


	8. The Conversation

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

"Hey Red."

He turned automatically towards the voice, but inwardly blanched as soon as he realized what he'd done. Had he already been found out?

"Red?" He inquired as he waited for the Metal Man to catch up with him.

"Don't play stupid." The Metal Man rolled his eyes. "I sure ain't going to."

"Fine. You're right." He inwardly sighed. He _had_ already been found out. How very incredibly disappointing. "Do the others know, too?"

"Raven probably does, and I think Robin might suspect it."

"Hmm." He scowled, then blinked and gave the Metal Man a surprised look as he realized something. "But…why did you stand up for me, if you know…?"

"Rae seems to think you're an okay guy. If there's one thing I've learned with the Titans, it's that you can always trust Rae to tell you how it is. She doesn't exaggerate or belittle anything…well, except maybe Beast Boy, but that's another matter entirely, and sometimes I wonder if she's not being completely truthful about him, too…" The Metal Man trailed off and shook his head.

He couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"Anyhow, Rob's got good instincts, too, but no one's better than Rae at intuition. If Rae thinks you're okay, I'll go with her." The Metal Man paused. "I guess I'm a little curious, too."

"Curious?"

"Yeah. You've always said you're not much for playing superhero, and yet here you are, trying to join the Titans." The Metal Man looked at him out of the corner of his mechanical eye. "Is it really for the rush?"

He pursed his lips. "Mostly…" He said. Somehow, he felt like he could trust this guy. After all, if he hadn't wanted him around, he'd have told the Kid who he really was…right? Then again, wasn't there some old adage about keeping your friends close but your enemies closer? But on the other hand, this guy didn't exude that sort of aura (he couldn't _actually_ read auras like the Sorceress was able to, of course, but he was fairly talented at reading faces). "I really won't…y'know, betray you guys or anything."

"Oh, really?" He wondered why the Metal Man sounded so amused. "You've never struck me as the sort to explain yourself to anyone, much less someone like me—y'know, a superhero. I won't complain, though. And I believe you, by the way. You don't seem the type to do the whole 'infiltrate the enemy's defenses' thing, either. I think you kind of enjoy not knowing our deepest darkest secrets. It makes us more of a challenge…more of a rush." He smirked.

"Hmm."

To tell the truth, he had never thought of it like that. But now that the idea had been presented, he supposed it was true. Before this fiasco he had never even considered trying to masquerade as one of the Titans, though obviously it wasn't the most difficult thing on Earth and probably would have been quite a handy thing to do.

Feeling suddenly uncomfortable with the conversation, he cleared his throat and changed it. "I thought you were going to play a video game with Beast Boy?"

"I was, but he ticked Rae off and she knocked him out. Besides, Rob asked me to show you your room, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to threaten the life out of you if you ever do anything to the rest of the Titans. Especially Starfire." The Metal Man was obviously pulling off their past experience when he had hit on the Dolt so much.

"Ah. Well, trust me when I say I'm not at all interested in her." He said, only vaguely wondering why he had chosen to divulge that particular piece of information.

"But you…"

"It's fun to get a rise out of the Kid…err, Robin." He said, inwardly cursing himself for slipping.

The Metal Man chuckled. "You don't like him much, do you?"

"He's a disgrace to the thieving name. And way too…'holier than thou' for my tastes."

"Well, they say too much similarity clashes."

He snorted. "_I_ have good reason to be arrogant. I've worked hard to become the best at what I do and have been the best for quite some time. He just…_is_."

The Metal Man gave him a surprised look. "Huh?"

"You think I just woke up one morning and was suddenly able to break through your security system? That thing was hard as heck to crack even for me, and yes that was a compliment. If I'd been anyone else it would've fried me. It's taken years of hard work and rigorous training for me to get where I am. Just because I stole that suit to make it easier for myself doesn't mean I couldn't do it without the thing. It just saves time and trouble. I wouldn't have stolen it if I actually _needed_ it. I prefer to work until I'm the best at something rather than depending on outside help. And I _am_ the best. I only use the teleporting feature when I feel like ticking you guys off or I get bored, whichever comes first. The only time there hasn't been another way out was at Chang's lab, and that time I ended up not using it anyhow."

The Metal Man continued to stare at him as he continued to rant angrily.

"You superhero-types think you're the only ones who have to do any work—you never stop to think that maybe _we_ have to work at what we do, too! We train and we make mistakes and we start over again just like anyone else!" Finally he realized he was almost yelling, and snapped his jaw shut, mentally smacking himself for letting go like that.

"Dude…" The Metal Man blinked. "I guess I never did think of it like that. Even when I was at the Academy…jeez…"

"The Academy?"

"H.I.V.E. I worked undercover there for a while, trying to bring down Brother Bludd.

"He's the mind control guy, right?"

The Metal Man nodded. "That's him alright. Of course, some of them aren't under mind control, but most of them are."

"I never liked that guy. Using others to do his dirty work…" He shook his head.

The Metal Man gave him another surprised look. "Y'know, Red, maybe I was wrong about you."

He paled. "Hey, you said you weren't going to give me up! I didn't even do anything!" He protested, waving his hands in front of himself defensively.

"No, no. I meant you aren't really such a bad guy after all. If you were like that about _fighting_ crime instead of _committing_ crimes…" The Metal Man trailed off.

He relaxed, shrugging. "Yeah, well, so far _fighting_ crime doesn't seem all that great. Not very profitable, either. You gotta get by in the world."

"We get paid for what we do around here. We all have bank accounts, and our other operatives get paychecks from wherever they're working—or from the government if their city can't afford to pay." The Metal Man shrugged. "It ain't half bad."

"There's no rush."

The Metal Man laughed loudly. "Surely stealing doesn't _always_ have a rush?"

He grimaced. "Well…not _always_…"

"Same thing, then. Sometimes you'll get a rush, sometimes you won't. I've found there's more of the former than the latter. That was just the H.I.V.E anyhow. They never give us much of a problem anymore. At first, sure, but now…" He trailed off and shrugged again. "We'll go up against people that'll get your blood pumping, I promise. Besides, fighting with a team is much different from fighting by yourself. You have to know when to back off because someone else is ready to attack and give you a break, and you gotta be able to perform attacks in synch with other people, too, without getting in the way or anything. I think you're being a bit of a hypocrite there—we didn't get this way by sitting around all the time either, y'know? We work at it, too."

He nodded thoughtfully.

"I think you'll fit in fine once you get the hang of things."

He nodded again and silence fell over them for a moment before they stopped in front of a door with his name (Rush, that is) on a plaque beside it

"Here's your room. You can program the code, as long as you tell me what it is just in case."

"Alright." He typed in the code he used for everything, which would have seemed a stream of nonsensical letters and numbers to anyone else but meant very much to him (this story will not disclose what this code was, nor what it meant), and the doors slid open.

"That's a weird combination." The Metal Man commented.

"It's personal." He said.

"A'ight, I get it. Rae's on your right down the hall, and I'm on your left. BB and Star are on the level below us, and Rob's above us."

"This floor's a bit crowded, then."

The Metal Man shrugged. "Rob's paranoid. Doesn't want you on the same floor as him, since he's beside the evidence room. Plus, Rae can tell if you're getting into something you shouldn't be, and if she needs any help I'm just down the hall. But you _won't_ be getting yourself into any trouble around here, will you?"

Though he'd defeated the Metal Man in combat plenty of times, the tone in the cybernetic teen's voice made him shake his head vigorously, feeling rather like a small child being scolded ahead of time for some mischief he was thinking about doing.

The Metal Man nodded approvingly and turned to go.

"Hey."

The half-robot looked back at him.

"How'd you figure it out?"

The Metal Man chuckled at the question. "You're the only guy I've ever met who can get a rise out of Rob so quick. You guys just rub each other the wrong way no matter what side you're on, I guess. Plus, you called him 'Kid', which is something only you have ever done—even Slade called him Robin. I'm surprised he hasn't noticed it yet, but sometimes he gets so angry and paranoid he actually misses the very thing he's looking for. You'd better start calling him Robin, though, or he _will_ catch on. He didn't become our leader for nothing."

He nodded. "Thanks."

"No prob."

He shook his head. "No, really. Thanks. You…you're not so bad, for a superhero."

The Metal Man chuckled again. "Hey, you aren't so bad for an ex-criminal, Red."

He allowed a corner of his mouth to curl upwards into a tiny half-smile and offered the Metal Man a hand. "Rush."

"Cyborg." The metallic human agreed, shaking the proffered hand.

"Nice to meet you." He said.

"You too, Red." Cyborg replied.

"I thought I told you—"

Cyborg snickered. "Hey, all of the Titans get a nickname from Big Brother Cyborg, and you're no exception other than the fact that your name doesn't shorten well. That your natural color?"

He automatically reached up to his hair. "Yes. But—"

"Thought so. See ya 'round, Red."

He sighed. It would seem he wasn't going to be able to escape from 'Big Brother Cyborg's' nicknaming ritual.

Then again…it felt kind of nice to be accepted.

(THE RUSH)


	9. The Decision

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

He lay in his new bed and stared at his ceiling, thinking over his conversation with Cyborg.

He really hadn't thought about superheroes having to work at what they did, though it had always been a pet peeve of his that they thought criminals just _did_, but never _worked_.

He supposed he had always _known_ they trained, he had just never thought about it before. It was a given—a tidbit of information he took for granted.

And the part about working as a team…that was something he had never taken into consideration at _all_. He had never though of them as individuals before—they were the Titans, not Robin, Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire. Sure, he had renamed them, but he had thought of that more as naming body parts—hands, feet, etc.—they were just parts of the whole, not separate units.

"Suppose I am a hypocrite." He decided out loud, folding his arms behind his head.

On the other hand, though, he had never worked at anything with anyone else, so why would he think of a group as anything more than one entity with several physical embodiments? In a way, they had to be a single being—working together and not getting in each others' way like Cyborg had pointed out—but at the same time, unlike a single being, they could function without each other, as different people, if one of their other 'parts' was out of commission. They weren't dependent on each other, or, rather, they didn't _have_ to be dependent on each other…they weren't completely dependent on each other…or something like that.

"_I think you'll fit in fine once you get the hang of things."_

No one had ever said something like that to him before.

And to think it had been said by someone who had been one of his bitterest enemies only a few days (heck, even a few hours!) before…he was having a difficult time grasping it, despite his considerable intelligence.

Someone thought he would fit in? Dare he say it—someone _wanted_ him to fit in?

What a mind boggling idea!

"_Hey, you aren't so bad for an ex-criminal, Red."_

An ex-criminal…_was_ he an ex-criminal? Was he really throwing away everything he had worked so hard for over so many years just for some experiment?

Was it still just an experiment?

He snorted.

Of course it was! Once he found out why Raven was a hero and got bored doing this mushy nobility crap, he would go back to being the great criminal mastermind he was inside!

But…

"_I believe you…maybe I was wrong about you…I think you'll fit in…you aren't so bad…all of the Titans get a nickname from Big Brother Cyborg…"_

Acceptance wasn't a concept he was familiar with at all.

His own parents hadn't accepted him, assuming they'd just dumped him at the orphanage. His peers at the orphanage (and on the streets) hadn't accepted him. His clients hadn't accepted him at first, and later when they had been ready to accept him he hadn't allowed it—it wouldn't have been real acceptance anyways. Not like what Cyborg was talking about.

Did he even _want_ to be accepted? Wasn't it—wasn't _any_ emotion—a weakness?

Being dependent _was_ a weakness, that he was sure of…but hadn't he just said they didn't have to be dependent on each other?

Dear gods in heaven, he was confused!

'_I can't stay here!'_

The thought hit him suddenly, almost violent in its abruptness.

If he stayed here, this acceptance…it would be like a drug. He was probably already becoming addicted to it, having thoughts like this…thoughts of giving up his life as a criminal.

He couldn't do that!

Stealing was his life! It was all he knew! If he wasn't a thief, he was nothing! He was nobody!

Just…Caleb Dawson…

Or…maybe…Rush…a Titan…

No, never! Never a Titan! Never a hero! It went against everything he had ever taught himself!

"_Ah…when I was a kid I helped people out a lot."_

But That Man had shown him you couldn't just help people out—eventually someone would try to take advantage of you. It was a way of life!

"_Are you frightened, little one? You have nothing to be scared of as long as mommy's here…"_

The heck…?

Where had that voice come from?

Why was it familiar…but at the same time not familiar at all?

And anyhow, he wasn't scared of anything! He was Red X, wasn't he? The greatest criminal mastermind Jump City and most of the rest of the world had ever seen! He had gotten past the Titan's defenses and infiltrated their home base twice, once as a criminal and now as one of them—he had even gotten past the notorious Titan Raven's defenses!

He was the only criminal who had never been caught—the Titans were the only heroes who had ever so much as come close to catching him, or even been able to tell he had ever been around. Usually he never left any trace…

Come to think of it…why had they been the only people to ever catch on to him?

Because he stole that suit? Had he become careless?

No, he was sure that wasn't it…

Maybe…had he _wanted_ them to catch him?

But why would he do something stupid like that? Letting them _know_ he was around…

That was why other masterminds were captured—they got so caught up in making an impression and taunting their respective heroes that they didn't pay attention and got caught every time, even if they did get out eventually. They just started the process over and over again…

Hadn't he always sworn he would never do that? It was so stupid! Even if there was a slight bit more of a rush in making them so frustrated, it was a disaster waiting to happen! One slip-up and he was done for!

So he _couldn't_ have _wanted_ to get caught.

He didn't want to go to jail, even if he knew he could get out again once the mood took him. It was a waste of time, and cells made him rather uncomfortable…the orphanage had been like a jail, after all, and he had no desire to go back there or anywhere even remotely similar to it (maybe he might've been a teensy bit afraid of those sorts of places).

If he hadn't _wanted_ to get caught, was he really just being careless? But he was always so very meticulous in his planning and in the carrying out of his plans, where could he have gone wrong?

It wasn't like he minded that he was always alone before, during, and after his heists…

'_What a wayward thought.'_

Lonely? Him? He was a born loner. He'd always been alone!

"_Welcome to the Titans, Rush…you'll fit in…"_

No! No, no, and a thousand times NO!

He had never fit in before, he didn't fit in now, and he never _would_ fit in!

And what's more: he didn't _want_ to fit in! Not ever!

It was a recipe for disaster! A jail cell waiting to happen!

He wouldn't let himself get sucked into this deadly addiction, and with this thought in mind he left his bed and went to the window, throwing it open to leave but freezing where he stood before he could make another of his grand escapes.

"_Maybe I was wrong about you…"_

This time the voice in his memory was spitting the words at him angrily, and it was accompanied by a pair of mismatched eyes, one robotic and one human, but both of them glaring at him.

"_Are you frightened, little one?"_

No, he wasn't frightened! He was just…

…Running away…

'_I have never been caught. I am a mastermind. I have never been accepted…!'_

These thoughts had always been a comfort, but…

'_I have never been caught…because I have always run away too fast for anyone to catch me.'_

'_I am a mastermind…at finding ways to run away.'_

'_I have never been accepted…because I've never stuck around long enough for anyone to try.'_

"_**Are you frightened, little one?"**_

'_Yes!'_

Yes, he was frightened! He was scared out of his mind!

The Titans were afraid he would betray them…

And he was afraid they would betray him…

"_Welcome to the Titans …"_

But they—or Cyborg, at least—were giving him a second chance…

He slammed the window shut and turned, sliding to the floor as he buried his face in his hands, with only one thought in mind:

'_I'm not going to run away…'_

(THE RUSH)


	10. The Breakfast Brawl

_**Blanket Disclaimer:** Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse_

A loud knock on his new door tore him out of his thoughts, which had carried him through a sleepless night into the next day.

"Yo, Red, time for breakfast!" Cyborg's voice boomed through the door. "I'm making bacon, eggs, ham, and sausages!"

"Dude, no way you're corrupting our newest member! TOFU!" The Comic Relief shouted.

"_I'm_ the one trying to corrupt him? That stuff is disgusting, B! We're giving him a _real_ welcome feast with _real_ food!"

"Tofu _is_ real food!"

"That _stuff_ is crap! It's not worthy of being called real food!"

He blinked as he stood, straightened his rumpled costume, and opened his door.

"Red!"

"Rush!"

"Tell him meat/tofu is better!" They both yelled.

"Huh?" He asked dumbly.

"What do you want for breakfast? Some _real_ food—" Cyborg began.

"Or some healthy tofu?" The Comic Relief finished.

"Or perhaps you wish to try some of the Happiness Pudding I have made to celebrate your arrival?" The Dolt asked sweetly, holding up a bowl full of…

…

…

…

…What _was_ that…?

…Was it…**_moving_**…?

"Ahem." The Sorceress cleared her throat, gathering everyone's attention. "Why don't you _all_ cook, and he can try a little bit of everything?"

"Right!"

"You're a genius, Rae!"

"Yes, Friend Raven, many thanks for your wise decision!"

The three Titans scrambled off towards the kitchen.

He and the Sorceress stood in silence for a moment.

"…I'm not sure yet whether or not I should thank you." He broke the silence.

"You shouldn't. Cyborg's food is the only thing around here that's edible, but it's also cardiac arrest on a plate." She replied with her usual drawl.

"…Wonderful…"

This wasn't _quite_ the rush he'd been thinking of when he'd decided to join the Titans…

"Yo, Red, if you don't hurry up all of the _real_ food will get cold!" Cyborg's voice yelled.

"Dude, you mean all of the nice, healthy tofu will get cold!" The Comic Relief yelled.

"And the Pudding of Happiness will escape its earthly bindings!" The Dolt added.

…

"On second thought, suddenly I'm not very hungry…" He decided, turning back to his room.

A shadow blocked his way. "Oh no you don't." The Sorceress said, smirking rather sadistically. "It's standard procedure for new members to sit through one bout of the 'Breakfast Brawl'."

"Breakfast…_Brawl_…?"

The Sorceress didn't reply, but her smirk widened as the shadow wrapped itself around him and they teleported into the dining room, where sat a myriad of different foods, most of them meat or tofu-meat, and some of them…even lower on his list of 'things to consider food (read: edible)' than tofu was…

'_I'm going to die…_' He realized suddenly, and sent a desperate, pleading look to the Sorceress.

From beneath her hood, the Sorceress actually _snickered_ at his predicament.

Surely all of his crimes couldn't be bad enough for this sort of punishment, could they? He never actually _hurt_ anyone when he stole from them! Wasn't there a law against cruel and unusual punishment anyways? Going to jail _had_ to be more humane than this…

The shadow shoved him into a seat, and three hopeful gazes stared at him unblinkingly from the other side of the table, waiting for him to try their respective owners' foodstuffs.

"It's easier just to try the food and get it out of the way." The Kid commented from where he nonchalantly took a sip of coffee and read the morning paper…weirdo…

He glared, but turned back to the food and gulped.

Deciding to get The Dolt's…pudding (?)…out of the way first so the rest of the meal could (hopefully) drown out the taste…and maybe even kill it, since it still seemed to be moving…he grabbed a spoon and dipped it into the bowl.

The three stares became wide-eyed gapes (accompanied by three dropped jaws), the Sorceress stopped smirking, and even the Kid dropped his paper onto the table in favor of gawking at him.

Beginning to regret his decision but realizing he couldn't back out of it, he brought the (was it actually _disintegrating_?) spoon to his mouth and hesitantly placed the goop within his maw, his life flashing before his eyes.

Wait a second…

This reminded him of…orphanage food…

Not that he was saying that either was anything short of hazardous towards your health…but he had gotten used to the acidic bittersweet taste of such atrocities long ago.

He swallowed and placed the small metal twig (yes, the spoon had _actually_ been disintegrating) back into the goop, watching it get swallowed up with a sick sort of fascination as the Titans gave him looks clearly stating that they thought he was either the most amazing or the most freakishly odd thing they'd ever seen (considering they weren't exactly the most normal beings on the planet, the latter was pretty bad).

"Dude…"

"You're…"

"Not dead…"

He looked up at them and blinked again. "It wasn't…_that_ bad." He said.

"Dude, next you're gonna tell me criminals can become superheroes." The Comic Relief said.

He saw Cyborg bite his lip to keep from grinning at that, and felt himself do much the same.

"I didn't say it was _good_." He said. "Just that it wasn't _bad_. It's…edible…"

"Glorious!" The Dolt squealed. "You are fond of my planet's cuisine!"

"Actually…it reminds me of the shi—_stuff_ they served at the orphanage when I was a kid."

She gave him a confused look.

"He means he isn't fond of it, he just doesn't hate it with a passion." The Sorceress translated.

"Oh!" The Dolt seemed happy anyways—in light of the expressions of the other Titans, he supposed he was the only person ever to _not_ hate her…pudding…with a passion.

"Mine next!" The Comic Relief exclaimed.

Cyborg opened his mouth to argue, but he'd already picked up a piece of the tofu bacon. He took a bite of it...

And nearly gagged as all of the moisture was suddenly sucked out of his mouth.

"Cardboard…" He choked out, grabbing a glass and swallowing the entirety of its contents in two gulps in an attempt to wash down the dry substance and get some moisture back into his mouth. '_Well, the…pudding…taste is gone…_' He thought dryly (no pun intended).

Cyborg burst out laughing while the Comic Relief sputtered loudly in protest to his declaration.

"Now," Cyborg set a plate piled high with meat in front of him, "some real food."

He grabbed a fork and stabbed the nearest meat (sausage), stuffing it into his mouth, chewing, and swallowing with what was probably a rather stupid smile and a sigh of, "Real food…"

'_Ah, my dear death trap of grease, how I have missed thee…_'

"I think that means he likes Cyborg's food best." The Sorceress commented sarcastically, smirk back in place as he jammed meat into his mouth almost faster than he could chew and swallow.

"Whoa, Red, you're gonna get a stomachache…or choke or something…" Cyborg said, taking the plate away so he would have to swallow all of the contents of his mouth before continuing.

He swallowed obediently. "Haven't eaten in nearly three weeks." He explained as the plate was returned and he continued stuffing himself.

"Dude, why?" The Comic Relief asked.

"Job in…" gulp, chomp, "Mexico." Slurp. "Never eat there." Gobble. "Or drink water."

"For three weeks?" The Kid asked, looking surprised.

He nodded wordlessly (mostly because his mouth was full and, though he'd raised himself, he did have impeccable manners…unless he got lazy…which he mostly was at the moment, but he preferred not to push it for the time being).

"What were you doing down there for three weeks?" The Sorceress asked.

He swallowed again. "Favor for an old client." He said, turning to Cyborg. "This is really good."

"Thanks. Whaddya mean 'old client'?" Cyborg asked curiously.

Feeling annoyed by the constant disruptions to his meal, he forced his latest mouthful down his throat with an almost audible gulp.

"I work a lot between hero gigs." He half-way lied. "To get food …" he blinked, and shook his head as he realized he'd basically just contradicted himself. "Odd jobs for whoever can pay. This old Mexican couple I did a job for a while back wanted me to get something for them that they lost," Or, rather, that they'd purposefully misplaced in a museum and been refused to have returned, "So I had to go down and find it," From deep within the jungle of tripwires, infrared traps, and invisible alarms, "Then find _them_, since they travel a lot, and return it to them."

Four Titans gave him surprised looks, while Cyborg gave him a look that clearly asked what he'd _really_ been doing.

"It was a pain. Won't do it again." He concluded, and returned to the food.

"So basically you're still being a hero…you're just getting paid to do it?" The Kid frowned.

He shook his head. "No. That's the only job like that I've taken in a while." The truth…sort of. "If I'd known I was gonna get food like this I wouldn't have made them pay," _That_ was definitely a boldfaced lie, seeing as he never turned down money, "But since last time I checked I can't predict the future…even heroes have to eat." He paused thoughtfully. "Eventually."

"Oh." The Kid almost seemed disappointed.

He was disappointed, too, but his reasoning was entirely different…

The (edible) food was gone.

"Glad you enjoyed my cooking, Red." Cyborg said, chortling.

"Haven't eaten like that since I was a kid." He admitted as he wiped his mouth.

"You mean the quality of the food, or the way you ate?" The Sorceress asked.

"The way I ate." He clarified. "Trust me: I've never seen, much less tasted, so much _good_ food in my entire life, especially not when I was a kid."

"Uhuh…?" The Kid prompted.

"I…had a rough life growing up. But that's neither here nor now, so..." He shrugged and stood, stretching his arms above his head and leaning back until he was almost parallel to the floor, sighing happily when his back emitted a series of loud cracks, and some of its tension was released. He straightened and looked at his new housemates. "Where does one go to train around here?"

"The obstacle course, the gym, or the training room." The Kid replied. "We'll show you how to get to all of them, but for now you'll be going to the last one."

He allowed one of his eyebrows to raise upward in wordless questioning of the statement.

"You and Rae are gonna duke it out." Cyborg elaborated.

He blinked. "Duke what out?" Were he and the Sorceress fighting? And if so...why hadn't he been told about this sooner...?

"Nothing personal, dude. We just wanna see how you fight." The Comic Relief said.

"Oh. Sure." He said, wondering why the Kid hadn't just said so instead of acting like such an upstart about it…of course, he wasn't entirely sure the Kid _knew_ how not to act like an upstart…

"Come on then."

He shrugged and followed the Kid, but decided he might just have to piss the leader of the Titans off later for acting like a prick…and just because he enjoyed pissing the Kid off…

(THE RUSH)


	11. The Spar

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

"Okay, you guys have ten minutes. Do and use anything you like. The only rule is not to kill or maim each other." The Kid's voice said over the intercom system. The original Titans, minus the Sorceress, were all in another room watching the proceedings via a one-way window.

"Take all the fun out of life…" He muttered under his breath, but naturally the Sorceress caught the remark and smirked at him whilst dropping into her fighting stance, hands glowing black. He followed suit, waiting for the signal.

"Go!" The Comic Relief's voice yelled, but neither of them moved.

That hadn't been the signal he was waiting for…

Her finger twitched and he saw her take a breath.

_That_ was the signal.

He ducked just in time to miss being hit from behind compliments of a shadow-encased barbell, and darted forward, dropping as she moved to defend herself and sweeping his leg out.

She took to the air to dodge the attack, but he was already up and punching her jaw, sending her flipping through the air for a moment before she fell to the ground.

She jumped up without skipping a beat and a long bout of punches, kicks, dodges, and ducks followed at a speed that was almost too fast to keep up with.

To the other Titans it looked more like a synchronized dance than a fight, both participants seeming to know far ahead of time what the other was going to do, as if they'd planned it out and were now just going through the movements. It was almost beautiful.

He grabbed her arms as they flashed out towards him and used them to spin her around, pinning them to her sides and keeping her caught between his chest and arms. She opened her mouth to chant her infamous words, but he maneuvered one hand to cover it.

"I'm not going to let you talk unless it's to say 'uncle'." He said into her ear.

He heard her snort and yelped when her heel came down hard on his toe, causing him to loosen his hold long enough for her to escape it.

"I don't need you to _let_ me talk." She said. "Azarath Metrion ZIN—"

She was cut off when he tackled her to the ground, flipping them over to take the brunt of the fall but almost immediately flipping them back over in order to pin her down, using one hand to hold her arms above her head and the other to cover her mouth again.

"Oh no?" He smirked, chortling when her eyes narrowed into an impressive glare. "You're awful pretty when you're glaring like that."

Her face flushed and in one deft movement she had turned them back over.

'_Ah, back where we started, it would seem…'_ He thought, wondering if she'd get angry enough to turn him in if he repeated what he had said the first time she had pinned him down like this.

She dug her knee into his stomach, uncomfortably close to another appendage he was rather fond of, and he decided not to tempt fate.

"Okay, that's enough." The Kid's voice interrupted her as she opened her mouth to speak.

She huffed almost inaudibly but let him up, standing and pulling her hood down over her face.

He stood as well and brushed himself off. "I commend you on your superior battling skills." He said with an elaborate bow.

She snorted again. "Whatever."

He wondered if she was still blushing beneath that hood of hers.

"Dudes, that was _sooo_ cool!" The Comic Relief exclaimed as he and the others entered the room.

"Yes, you and Friend Raven are very wondrous fighters!" The Dolt gushed.

"Pretty evenly matched." Cyborg commented.

"…I wouldn't mind a spar sometime." The Kid admitted begrudgingly. "But you could use some work. Both of you."

"Ah, don't get your spandex in a bunch." He rolled his eyes. Time for some of that annoying of the Kid he'd been planning earlier. "There's no one anywhere who couldn't 'use some work'. You can always improve on something. Everyone knows that."

"Uh…right." The Kid agreed almost confusedly.

"_I_ still thought it was cool." The Comic Relief said.

"Well, you've only ever seen Wonder Boy here fight hand-to-hand, so that's understandable."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" The Kid scowled.

"It means _you_ could use some work, too, hypocrite. Of course, I've only ever seen you fight on TV, so I could be wrong. I'd have to fight you first before I could be sure."

"Alright, then, how about—"

"Tomorrow? So glad you agree." He said, yawning. "If there's nothing else, I would rather like to go take a nap. I didn't sleep much last night. New place and all."

New place…that was probably the worst lie he had ever told. He moved around too much to be thrown off his sleep schedule because of a new place. He prided himself at being able to sleep wherever and whenever he wanted or needed to.

"But New Friend Rush, we were hoping to do the taking you out for the round circular disc of cheesy goodness." The Dolt protested sweetly.

He stared at her.

"Pizza." The Sorceress translated.

"Oh."

"But you're probably still full from stuffing yourself this morning." She added sarcastically.

He looked at his watch. "Yep. No room for more food for another…four hours or so, I'd say. Wake me up then and I'd love to tag along. Four hours ought to be enough sleep."

He yawned again and waved at everyone.

Four hours later he would be awoken not by one of his new teammates, but by a very shrill, very annoying alarm, accompanied by an equally annoying flashing red light.

(THE RUSH)


	12. The Mission

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

BEEPBEEPBEEP

He fell hard onto the floor and leapt up, crouching into a defensive stance.

KNOCKKNOCK

"Red, that's the alarm! Time to go!" Cyborg yelled.

"I'm up." He said, shaking off the last of his sleep, and ran out of the door, following Cyborg to the garage and leaping onto his motorcycle, shoving his helmet on over his head, and trailing the T-Car when it pulled out of the garage.

"_There's some sort of fight going on downtown."_ The Kid's voice startled him as it suddenly echoed throughout his helmet.

"What the—"

"_I forgot to tell you—while you were sleeping I installed a communication device into your helmet."_ Cyborg's voice said, accompanied by an almost (but not quite) sheepish chuckle.

"That would've been nice to know _before_ I nearly ran myself off the road." He grumbled.

"_Heh."_

"So, what's going on?"

"_Fight downtown. It's between an unknown…something, and four civilians. At least, the police think they're civilians…_" The Kid spoke again.

"How can they not be sure?"

"_It doesn't matter. We have to go break up the fight before someone gets hurt._"

"Alright, sure. Should I just watch and help as needed?"

"_Sounds good to me._"

Mentally, he sighed. It would seem he was destined to go without a rush for the time being.

Finally, they came to 'the scene of the crime'.

Naturally, there was much devastation, with citizens scrambling to get out of the way of the fight and the continuously falling debris like ants from a magnifying glass on a sunny day.

"Well, well, why didn't anyone invite me to this little bash?" He asked dryly as he and The Kid dismounted their bikes and the others exited the T-Car.

"That was almost as bad as one of Beast Boy's attempts at a joke and Robin's stupid attack lines." The Sorceress informed him with a roll of her eyes.

"The key word there would be '_almost'_…"

All other attempts at conversation were halted as they jumped out of the way of some debris that resulted from an explosion presumably caused by one of the five fighters.

Then, all five leapt high into the air, four of them attacking the other.

"…Hey guys? I don't think they're citizens…" The Comic Relief remarked.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious." Both he and the Sorceress said in unison.

"Alright, Titans, for now let's just try to keep them from destroying Jump City. We'll sort out who's who and what's what later." The Kid said.

He rolled his eyes, but didn't comment.

"Titans, GO!" The Kid yelled, and he leaned back against his bike as he watched them rush into battle and leave him behind.

"BOOYAH!" Cyborg yelled, shooting his plasma-cannon at the quarreling quintet.

They scattered.

"Stay out of this!" One of them yelled angrily, but almost desperately at the same time. He was tall, lithe and lanky, with long, spiky blue-tinted black hair. He wore a black skintight suit made of leather that reached up to his jaw line, and tucked into a pair of metal gloves on his hands and metal boots on his feet, both looking almost as technologically advanced as Cyborg's machinery. He had a metal tactical belt around his waist, but never took anything from it as he fought against the other four newcomers, and wore a domino mask much like Robin's to cover up his eyes.

"Afraid they'll get hurt, Prime?" Snickered one of the others. He and the three remaining fighters were completely identical, with the same tall, lean build as the first boy. They had short chestnut brown hair, and bright crimson eyes that seemed to glow maniacally in the sunlight. They wore black leather suits like the first boy, as well, but their gloves and boots were made of the same material as the rest of their suit, though they also glowed menacingly with yellow circuitry.

"Shut up, Clone." The first boy snapped, and looked back at the Titans. "Stay back or else!"

"Hehe. Yeah…wouldn't want those insignificant beings to die, would you, Prime?" Taunted another of the four.

"That's the difference between us and you—your feelings make you imperfect!" Said a third, snickering. "That mercy of yours is going to get you killed."

"By us!" Added the last, cackling.

"Why doncha come with us quietly, and we'll let 'em live—for now!" Sneered the first.

He decided he didn't much like the four with brown hair.

"If you whack jobs are so perfect, why d'you need to blackmail him to catch him?" He asked, interrupting their taunts. "Seems to me such _perfect beings_ as yourselves ought to be able to get him to go with you no problem…so maybe you _aren't_ so perfect after all."

All four of them scowled in unison while some of the color drained out of the other one's cheeks.

"Lower class beings such as yourself _wouldn't_ understand perfection such as ours." One hissed.

"Aww, did I hit a nerve?" He asked with a roll of his eyes. "For such 'upper class beings' your tempers sure aren't much to brag about. _Touchy_…"

One of them snarled and launched itself at him, surprising him with its speed and catching him with a punch in his stomach. "Silence, peasant!"

He just laughed. "So I _did_ touch a nerve." He smirked.

"I said silence!" The boy made to punch him again, but this time he was able to dodge it—just barely, which bothered him—and counterattack with a kick to the boy's stomach.

"Perfection just _isn't_ what it used to be." He said disappointedly.

"Don't bother yourself with that lowlife, Three." One of the others said. "He isn't worth our time, and our job is to take out Prime, here."

"It'll only take me a moment." Three growled, attacking him again.

He managed to dodge or block most of the volley of punches that followed this statement, but he was thrown back by a sudden explosion when Three threw out his hands at him. He was rammed into a building, which crumbled atop him.

"New Friend Rush!" He heard the Dolt screech.

"Your little pal won't be getting up." Three said.

He couldn't help but snort—he had been in much worse situations than this. Many of his heists had involved tunnels, some of which had collapsed on him. This was no different, and in fact it wasn't nearly as bad as being buried alive several hundred feet under the ground.

He rolled his shoulders and managed to get a small bomb of his own out of his utility belt, throwing it up and covering his head as it exploded and the debris was blasted away.

He stood, tossing another bomb up and down in the air. "Was that supposed to hurt, Threesie?" He asked, arching an eyebrow at the slightly surprised boy. "You'll have to do better than that to get rid of me, I'm afraid."

"Three! I said don't bother!"

"Leave off, Two!" Three snapped. "This guy's mine!"

He laughed and threw the bomb down.

"That's not going to stop me, peasant!" Three said, throwing out a hand and blowing up the bomb. But then he stopped short, as did everyone else.

Rush had disappeared.

(THE RUSH)


	13. The New Guy

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

He smirked. He knew where he had 'disappeared' to, of course, but seeing the 'perfect beings' so surprised and confused was really quite amusing.

Three growled as he looked around. "Little peasant disappeared…" He muttered angrily.

"It doesn't matter, Clone! Your fight's with me!" The boy with black hair said, causing an explosion next to Three when he threw out his hands again.

His smirk turned into a frown. He had actually been getting a rush, and this kid decided to get a conscience and interrupt! Darned do-gooders!

"Fine!" Three stepped out of the dust. "Stupid lesser being must've gone to lick his wounds."

His frown turned into a full blown scowl, and he threw himself out of his hiding place (the very pile of debris he'd been trapped under a few moments before) and onto Three.

"'Lick his wounds' this, you arrogant piss-off!" He said, bringing his bo-staff down hard across the boy's face. "Why doncha take your 'perfect' attitude and stuff it up your—" He cut himself off as he ducked below Three's counterattacking punch.

"You little half-rate human, you hit me!" Three yelled, both angry and disbelieving at once.

"That was the idea—too advanced for your oh-so-perfect brain to comprehend?" He asked as he twirled his bo-staff with his fingers.

"Shut up!" Three threw his hands out, probably to try blowing him up again, but this time a dark shield wrapped around him, keeping the explosion from hurting him at all. "What—?"

"I didn't feel like watching you bash him around anymore, Your Perfect-ness." The Sorceress said with a smirk, hands and eyes glowing as she kept the shield up.

"Thanks, but I've got this." He said, punching Three while the boy was looking at her.

"We're a team, Red. This is what we do." Cyborg said. "BOOYAH!" He shot his cannon off at the cluster of three brown headed boys who had been watching the proceedings.

He muttered unintelligibly (and none-too-kindly) under his breath and moved to block another kick compliments of Three, who looked even angrier than before by this point.

"Why won't you…stay _dead_?" Three demanded as they traded punches and kicks.

"I'm like a bad penny, Threesie—I always come back!" He replied, clipping the boy's shoulder with his staff and grunting when the retaliation caught his stomach.

"Three!" One of the other brown haired boys called. "Fall back! We'll report to the Head and come back for Prime later!"

"I'm not leaving until this upstart is dead, Four!" Three snarled.

"Three, fall back _now_!" Another of them said, voice holding a tone of authority that refused to be ignored or disobeyed.

"Fine!" Three sneered at him. "I'll be back to finish this later, peasant!" And the four brown haired boys disappeared, leaving behind only a dust trail to indicate where they'd gone.

"Lookin' forward to it, Threesie." He said to the trail, breathing hard and running a hand through his sweaty hair. What a rush! Cyborg hadn't been exaggerating!

"You a'ight, Rush? You took a couple of hard blows there." Cyborg said, concerned.

"I probably look worse than I feel." He shrugged, wincing at the sharp pain in his shoulder blades. "Don't worry about it—I'm fine."

"You aren't fine." The Sorceress said disapprovingly. "Your 'rush' just hasn't worn off yet."

"But Friend Raven, how can Friend Rush's rush do the wearing off?" The Dolt asked, confused. "Will he become someone else?"

"She means the adrenaline rush, Star. Not him." The Kid explained.

"This wouldn't have happened if you'd just minded your own business." The black haired boy finally spoke up. "I told you not to interfere!"

"Dude, we're superheroes!" The Comic Relief laughed. "It's our _job_ to interfere—especially when you're destroying our town!"

"And now he's hurt!"

"Comes with the territory. I've been through worse." He waved it off, cringing as the full extent of his injuries began to kick in.

The Sorceress landed beside him. "Take off your shirt so I can heal you." She said.

"You sure you don't just want to see me topless?" He asked as he did as she'd told him to, and yelped as she pinched the skin of his arm and twisted.

"I'm sure." She replied as she placed her hands over his chest, the others grimacing as they saw the multitude of nasty bruises beginning to appear on his skin.

He let out a sigh as her magic eased away the pain and stretched, noticing the blush that colored her cheeks beneath her hood when he did that despite her earlier statement. "Thanks."

"Mmhmm." She turned to the boy. "So, who are you, who were those other boys, and why were you destroying our town?"

"Name's Maxwell." The boy said. "Those other boys were…well, sort of clones of me, and they were trying to recapture me so their boss can make more clones. I'd rather not talk about it."

"Hello! I am Starfire!" The Dolt greeted, capturing the boy in one of her (literally, he knew from experience) bone-crushing hugs. "It is a pleasure to meet you! Will you be my new friend? What is your favorite color? Why do you not answer my questions?"

"Because you're squeezing the life out of him." He said, mouth twitching. Apparently, she really _did_ go through this every time she met someone new…interesting…

"Oh! I apologize!" She said, releasing him.

The boy took a deep gasp for breath, sending him a grateful look, which he shrugged off. He and the Titans waited for the boy to recover.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too…Starfire." The boy said, giving her a hesitant smile. "I…guess I can be your friend. And my favorite color is blue."

"Glorious, New Friend Maxwell!" She exclaimed, delightedly clasping her hands together.

"Ah…"

"You get used to her." Cyborg clapped the boy on the back. "I'm Cyborg."

"And I'm Beast Boy!" The Comic Relief said enthusiastically. "The chick in the cape is Raven, the guy who was badmouthing those other dudes is Rush, and—"

"And I'm Robin." The Kid finished for him, offering the boy a hand. "We're the Teen Titans."

The Original took the hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, too."

"Hugs and kisses all around." He said. "We're going out for pizza. Join us?"

"I don't—"

"Who said we were going out for pizza?" The Kid asked, frowning.

He rolled his eyes. "Starfire did—four hours ago. Your memory that bad, Wonder Boy?"

"Please, don't fight because of me." The Original interrupted. "I can't go anyways—I need to leave before those Clones come back."

"You have to leave?" The Dolt said, bottom lip trembling.

"If that's the only reason you're leaving, then by all means: stick around. I'm looking forward to another match against Threesie." He said as he smirked excitedly at the thought, although the fact that he was actually agreeing with the Dolt disconcerted him slightly.

"You'll only get hurt again. He might kill you next time."

"In case you didn't notice, I was holding my own quite well. Besides, at least I won't die bored." He said with a shrug. "Guy's pretty amusing, for a pompous blow-hard."

The Original gave him a weird look. "You're an odd person, Rush."

"I'll take that as a compliment." He smirked. "Now then, come along like a good little boy and have pizza with us, or poor Starfire might cry her little eyes out all night long—and you wouldn't want to cause such a pretty girl to cry, would you?"

"Umm…"

"Dude, c'mon! They won't come back today!" The Comic Relief said.

"But…"

"You ain't getting away 'til you eat pizza with us." Cyborg said, grabbing one of his arms.

He grabbed the other arm. "Never argue against free pizza, Maxwell, my friend."

The Original sighed. "Alright…I guess."

"Let us go to consume the round circular disc of cheesy goodness!" The Dolt said.

"Pizza." He said to the Original, who looked as confused as he'd felt when she'd said it earlier.

"Oh." The Original sighed again. "Let's go then…I guess…"

He smirked. He rather liked the Original. Maybe this kid would stick around…

And he'd get to see someone else go through the 'Breakfast Brawl'.

(THE RUSH)

_A/N: Maxwell and Clones One-Four are the creations of my good friend **OmegaPrime12187**, who also drew some WONDERFUL pictures of his characters and Rush for your enjoyment!_

_**Rush**:_

_http/ www. geocities. com/ puertorican12187/ extra/ images/ teentitans rush. jpg_

_**Max:**_

_http/ www. geocities. com/ puertorican12187/ extra/ images/ teentitans omegaprime. jpg_

_**The Clones:**_

_http/ www. puertorican12187/ extra/ images/ teentitans omega.jpg_

_Just take out the spaces! Thanks Fugyre (inside joke)! I hope you liked his characters and will continue to do so, and I hope my portrayal didn't suck…;_


	14. The Argument

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

"So you guys are superheroes?" The Original asked as he picked up a piece of cheese pizza.

"Unless there's something we don't know." The Sorceress nodded.

The Original nodded wordlessly, poking his pizza as his gaze flickered around nervously.

"Dude, they aren't coming back today." The Comic Relief said, laughing. "Bad guys always take at _least_ a day to regroup."

"You don't know them like I do." He muttered darkly.

"No, we don't. Who cares? I don't make it a habit to get to know pricks." Excluding the Kid, of course, but he thought it might not be a good idea to mention that for the time being.

The Original opened his mouth to say something, but just shook his head, poking his pizza again with a deep sigh.

"You gonna eat that or poke it 'til it disappears?" He asked, arching an eyebrow at the boy.

"No. You can have it."

He snorted. "I don't want it." He said, picking up the slice, tearing off a piece of it and shoving it into the Original's mouth before anyone could stop him, holding the boy's mouth and nose shut. "Eat it, and quit acting like a paranoid—"

"Friend Rush!" The Dolt gasped. "You should not force him to eat if he does not wish to do so!"

"He's acting like a stupid little kid who didn't get his way." He said.

"If New Friend Maxwell wishes to behave like a child, let him do so. It is not your job to make him eat." She scolded, forcing his hands away.

The Original coughed as he swallowed the pizza. "Thanks." He rasped.

"You are very welcome, New Friend Maxwell!" She chirped, beaming at him.

"Heh." The Original blushed and took a bite of his pizza as if trying to keep himself busy.

"You seemed to be doing pretty well for yourself against those other guys." The Kid commented.

The Original shrugged. "I guess I've gotten used to the way they fight. They are based off of me, after all, and I've fought them often enough."

"Based off of you? Is that why they called you 'Prime'?" The Kid asked.

The Original grimaced. "Well…basically." He said, obviously uncomfortable.

"You fight pretty well, for someone so paranoid." He said.

"Red, quit giving him a hard time." Cyborg said, chortling.

"Fine, fine. I'm just saying…"

"They've been chasing me for a while now." The Original said, going back to his seemingly habitual poking of the partially eaten slice of pizza and beginning his nervous glances again.

"Such is life." He said with a shrug. He was quite used to being chased—he couldn't see what the big deal was. "Besides, who better to keep the baddies away than a team of supers?"

The Original gave him a sharp look. "You guys shouldn't interfere anymore. This is my fight and you'll just get hurt again!"

Cyborg threw his head back and laughed loudly. "We're _superheroes_, Maxie. Getting hurt is second nature to us! Definitely nothing new. Besides, it's worth it to help out a friend."

The Original blinked.

"Which brings me to my next point." The Kid said, leaning forward. "How would you like to be a Titan, Maxwell?"

The Original jerked back. "What? No! Why would you think I would want to be a Titan?"

"Well, it's rather obvious you like helping people, seeing as how you're so worried about us getting hurt compliments of your little clones." He said.

"No! I can't be a Titan! I have to keep moving around or they'll catch me again and more people will get hurt!"

"First off, not all Titans stay in Jump City." The Kid said. "And second, it's like Rush said: who better to keep those guys away from you than a team of superheroes?"

"No! I'm not going to be held responsible for anymore people getting hurt!"

"We're the ones asking _you_ to stay." He said with a roll of his eyes. This kid was seriously _way_ too uptight. "We'll take full responsibility for our actions, if it'll make you feel better."

"No, it won't! It'll still be _my_ fault if you get hurt, because they're after _me_!"

"Of course, because, being superheroes, we've never been the targets of a group of super villains before." The Sorceress drawled.

"This is different! These guys are seriously—"

"A bunch of weirdos." He nodded in agreement.

"Dude, it'll be okay. We're totally used to this sort of thing. We wouldn't ask if we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into." The Comic Relief said.

"But you _don't_ know what you're getting yourselves into!"

"Let me guess: some nutcase kidnapped you or something because of that thing you do with your hands. Then he decided to make an army of clones using your DNA, at the same time making them stronger, faster, smarter, etc. Am I right so far?" He asked.

The Original's mouth twitched. "Yeah…"

"Okay." He smirked. He loved pissing people off. "So then you somehow managed to escape, because you don't want a lot of super-you's running around causing havoc and taking over the world and all that good stuff." His smirk widened for a second before he gave the Original a mockingly innocent look. "Don't be shy about correcting me if I'm wrong."

"You're right." The Original grumbled.

He smirked again. "Of course I am." He said, as if that should have been obvious the entire time, then continued. "So, luckily for you, whoever is in charge of whatever company is cloning you isn't ready to let you go just yet, so he's sent a couple of your super clones to 'retrieve' you, thus causing you to run all over the world so as to get away from him. Still right?"

The Original sank down into his seat. "Yes…"

"Okay, then. So where's the part where we don't know what we're getting into?"

"The part where the super clones are vicious, bloodthirsty, and have no mercy whatsoever."

He rolled his eyes. "Which part of 'causing havoc and taking over the world' did you miss? Being vicious, bloodthirsty, and having no mercy whatsoever comes with the territory. And I'm guessing they have no consciences, either?"

"Right. Which is why I can't stay here!"

He threw his hands up into the air. "Fine! Go then, you coward! Keep running until they catch you or you die, whichever comes first! And _when_ you die, let them use the rest of your blood to make _more_ clones. Without _you_ around no one will have so much as a _chance_ of figuring out how to destroy them, so let the enslaving and eminent destruction of the planet rest on _your_ shoulders, and yours alone, since no else is going to give a flying flip about some paranoid idiot who won't accept help from anyone even if they _do_ try to care!" He stood, slamming his hands down onto the table angrily. "Go on then, _Prime_! Start running, and stop wasting our time! And don't come crawling back when you figure out you really _do_ need help!"

Even the Kid was giving him a shocked look by this point, not to mention the expressions on the faces of a few of the other frequenters of the parlor.

"I've lost my appetite." He said, agitatedly mounting his bike. "And I _really_ hate stupid people!" He snarled at them as he started it up, and jerked his helmet over his head before taking off down the road with a sharp screech of his tires.

(THE RUSH)


	15. The Memories

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

He was going way too fast to be safe or legal, he knew. But at the moment he didn't want to be safe, and he sure as heck didn't care if he was legal or not.

_God_ he hated stupid people—hated them with a passion—especially when they made him think of his past…of _That Man_…and consequentially…of _her_.

_(Flashback)_

"_Hello. My name is Epsilon. Epsilon Methuss."_

_He looked up warily at the man, a tall but fat and greasy looking fellow with slicked back brown hair and a sleazy business suit on._

"_Caleb Dawson." He said hesitantly, not moving towards the hand the man had offered._

"_It's a pleasure to meet you, Caleb." The Man said, withdrawing his hand, and instead gave him a dodgy smile. "I saw you today, Caleb. You're quite talented for someone so young."_

_The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He hed been caught? It had been years since he had been caught! And by this whack job, no less!_

"_Don't worry, I'm not going to turn you in." The statement didn't make him feel any better, especially when that smile widened. "Actually, I have a proposition for you."_

_A shiver ran up his spine. "What kind of proposition?"_

"_I've been looking for someone like you, Caleb."_

"_Call me Dawson." He hadn't been called by his real name in a long time, and he really didn't want _this_ guy calling him by his _last_ name, much less his first._

"_Alright, Dawson." The Man put his hands in front of himself as a sign of peace, but that didn't settle him any. "I'm a businessman, Dawson. In fact, I'm president of my own corporation—Methuss Industries. And we've been looking for someone like you for a very long time."_

"_What for?"_

"_Settle down, my boy, settle down."_

"_I'm not your boy. Get to the point." He snapped._

"_Alright, alright. I want to clone you."_

"_Clone…me? I thought you scientist types were still working on sheep."_

_The Man chuckled. "Well, let's just say Methuss Industries is a bit more…_advanced_ than sheep."_

"_I'm listening."_

"_We want to make an army of super clones…to do whatever we like with. You'll train them, and when they're ready you'll get to lead them, too."_

"_Yeah, right. I might live on the streets but I'm not stupid. Once you don't need me anymore, you'll just get rid of me. Or lock me up in some room to get more DNA at your leisure. Thanks but no thanks." He turned to leave, but found himself blocked by two big thugs._

_That funny feeling of his, the one that told him when something really bad was about to happen, was now officially going nuts._

"_I'm afraid you don't really get a choice, Dawson." The Man said, chortling again._

_He scowled. These blockheads couldn't hold him! He _never_ got caught!_

"_Be reasonable, Dawson. It's not like there are many places for you to run." He turned back to look at the Man, and one of the thugs grabbed him. He cursed mentally._

_The Man pulled out a syringe and, despite his struggles, stuck it into his arm._

"_This is just going to be a sample…to make sure you're perfectly healthy and good for cloning." The Man explained as the syringe filled with blood._

_He kicked once and managed to knock the syringe to the ground, and bit Thug1, causing him to let him go with a loud howl. Thug2 moved to get a better hold on him, but he hadn't gone this long on the streets without teaching himself how to fight. He kicked Thug2 where it would hurt and tried to run, but was stopped again when the Man grabbed his arm, holding it so tightly he knew he'd have bruises._

"_You aren't going anywhere, you little brat!"_

_Thug1 took hold of his arm, and he leaned forward and latched onto the Man's hand with his teeth, smirking but just biting harder when the Man howled with pain._

_Both thugs tried to dislodge him, and the Man hit him over his head over and over again, but he held on stubbornly even when he started seeing stars, just clenching his jaw harder, not letting go even as he felt skin and muscle give way to his teeth._

_The Man screamed so loudly the thugs let him go in surprise, and he spit out the Man's thumb before running as fast as he could out of the alley, ducking into another a few streets down when he was sure he hadn't been followed._

_His knees went weak and he collapsed behind a dumpster, scooping up water from a puddle that had formed thanks to the falling rain and washing out his mouth, not caring about whatever gunk might have been festering in the pool of water as he spit out the coppery blood._

_Apparently, he should have been mindful of the puddle, or washed the blood out sooner, as his stomach rebelled and he vomited violently several times. Finally, the bile stopped rising, and he fell back, not bothering to move other than to wipe his mouth on his sleeve he was so tired._

"_Hello? Is someone out there?" He looked up at the woman leaning out of her window, and she looked down at him, a sympathetic look entering her deep violet eyes. "Oh, hello."_

_He wiped his mouth again, blushing. "H-hello. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"_

"_No, it's alright. Why don't you come inside and get cleaned up?"_

"_O-okay." He said, nodding, and went to her front door (checking for the Man and his thugs, of course). He went inside when she opened the door for him. "Thanks."_

"_It's no problem." She replied. "My name's Tandi Summers."_

"_Caleb Dawson."_

"_It's a pleasure to meet you, Caleb." She said, still smiling as she handed him a small pile of clothes. "These are my brother's, but you look like they won't be too big on you. The shower is down the hall, first door on the left. I'm going to make you some cocoa and get you something for your stomach. Does that sound okay?"_

_He nodded slowly, wondering about this girl as he followed her directions and found the tiny bathroom, turning on the water and taking a quick shower—it was the first he had had in quite some time, he was embarrassed to know._

_He pulled on the clothes she had provided and gave his old clothes a hesitant look. "W-what do you want me to do with my old clothes, M-Miss Summers?" He called out of the bathroom door._

"_Oh, just call me Tandi!" Her voice said. "There should be a dirty clothes hamper in there somewhere, just put them in there. I need to do the laundry anyhow, so I'll wash your stuff, too."_

"_Th-thank you!" He found the hamper and stuffed his clothes into the already stuffed thing. He left the bathroom and found her in the kitchen._

"_You look much better without all that dirt, don't you?" She asked when she saw him, her smile widening. He blushed again. "The cocoa's almost done. Why don't you go in the living room and watch some cartoons or something? The baby's at the nursery right now, but my brother will be home soon and you guys can go outside and play."_

"_A-alright." He said, and she waved it off as she turned back to the stove. He found the living room and turned on the television, switching it to the news, which he made it a habit to watch whenever he was near a TV._

"And today, Epsilon Methuss, President of our very own Methuss Industries, has made yet another generous donation to charity, which brings his total donations up to an estimated three billion dollars—only topped by Bruce Wayne of Wayne Corporation's estimated three and a half billion dollars." _The woman onscreen said._

_He scowled and looked at the picture of the two businessmen shaking hands. He decided that even if he hadn't just been accosted by the Man, he would like Bruce Wayne better—the other multi-billionaire looked _far_ more trustworthy._

"_The news?" Tandi had joined him, handing him his cocoa and a small pill._

_He nodded as he swallowed the pill and carefully sipped the cocoa. "I like to know what's going on in the world." He said, waving off her surprise._

_She laughed. "That's nice—my brother just watches cartoons, and he usually takes up the TV whenever he's home, so I probably know more about that sort of thing than current events!"_

_He shrugged, turning back to the screen. "Cocoa's good. Thanks."_

"_You're welcome, Caleb." She said cheerfully, ruffling his hair, but he saw her frown at the screen from the corner of his eye._

"_What?" He looked at her._

"_Oh, nothing. I just don't see why everyone fawns over that sleazy Methuss so much." She said._

"_Hmm." In his head, he agreed with her, but wanted to know how she knew him._

"_He owns most of the town around here. Owns this apartment, even, and bugs us about rent no matter when we pay, the jerk." She explained._

"_Oh." He looked at the screen again. "Wayne seems like a better guy."_

"_He definitely is. I wish he was our proprietor, but he's in Gotham. Methuss owns Bludhaven."_

"_Why don't you move?"_

_She sighed. "I should. It's much safer, what with Batmanand all—Bludhaven's superhero doesn't do much—but I don't have the money."_

_Money? Easy._

"_I could help." He said._

_She giggled. "That's nice of you, Caleb, but we'll stick it out here for now. It's not like Methuss has ever done anything wrong—he's just a jerk."_

_He nodded wordlessly, mentally scowling._

"_Anyhow…"_

"_Taia, I'm home!" The door opened and slammed shut, a boy with short sandy blonde hair like Tandi's entered the house, throwing a backpack on the floor next to the door._

"_Hey, Kylan." She said, standing. "This is Caleb Dawson. Caleb—my brother, Kylan."_

"_Hiya." Kylan greeted, as cheerful as his sister. "Nice to meet you!"_

"_You too." He said, and began to say something else, but was cut off when someone knocked hard on the door._

"_Open up, Summers!" Came a barking voice._

_His eyes widened. It was Methuss!_

"_Kylan, take Caleb to your room and stay put." Tandi said, pulling him to his feet and shooing them both down the hall before answering the door._

"_Don't worry, Taia will get rid of him." Kylan assured him as he pulled him into a messy room._

"_I guess…" He said skeptically, and both of them stayed close to the closed door, listening._

"_What is it, sir?" Tandi's voice asked. "I paid rent for this month already."_

"_That's not why I'm here, woman." A smack rang out. "I'm here for that little brat!"_

"_My brother?" Came Tandi's slightly pained voice. Both he and Kylan clenched their fists._

"_No, that brat Dawson! One of my people saw him come in here!"_

"_I don't know what you're talking about. They must have seen one of Kylan's friends. They're always coming around here for snacks." She lied coolly for a girl, he thought._

"_Don't lie, wench!" Another slap. "Where is he?"_

"_I don't know what you're talking about!"_

_They heard the cocking sound of a gun and gasped_

"_Tell me where he is _now_, Summers. I'll kill you and your brother—you know I will."_

_He looked at Kylan, whose eyes were wide and scared, and before the other boy could stop him he had left the room and gone into the living room._

"_No! Caleb, come back!" He didn't listen._

"_Leave them alone, Methuss!" He growled, smirking a bit when he saw the bloody rag wrapped around the Man's hand._

_The gun was turned on him. "Shut up! You're coming with us, Dawson!"_

"_No he's not!" Tandi spoke up, stepping in front of him._

"_Tandi, don't—"_

"_Be quiet, Caleb." She interrupted him. "I'm not about to let this jerk take you and hurt you or whatever it is he wants with you."_

"_Stay out of this, woman!" The Man said, and pulled the trigger._

_Tandi gasped and crumpled to the floor, a blood stain appearing on her stomach, and another shot brought a second pool to her chest._

"_Taia!" Kylan screamed, but flew backwards when a third shot went through his head._

"_You bastard!" He yelled, tackling the Man and grabbing the gun when it toppled out of his grasp, lifting it to point at the Man. "Leave! Get out and don't come back!"_

"_You won't shoot me—"_

_He pulled the trigger and caught the Man's leg. "I said leave!" Tears blurred his vision._

"_You little…" The Man stopped short when he saw his grip tighten on the trigger again. "Fine. I'll go. But I'll find you again, Dawson. And remember—if it wasn't for you, these two innocent people would still be alive!"_

_He fired off another shot, but the door had already closed._

_He started to shake and dropped the gun, both he and it falling to the floor._

"_C-Caleb."_

_He turned. Tandi was still alive!_

"_I'm not going to be around for long, Caleb."_

_He started to cry._

"_Don't do that, Caleb. You have to…you have to run. Run away and don't ever come back to Bludhaven again! Don't look back! Don't ever let him catch you!" She gasped hoarsely and groaned, clutching at her stomach with both hands._

"_No. No, Tandi, please." He wept. "I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I didn't know he'd…I'm so sorry, Tandi! I didn't know! If I'd known I never would've—"_

"_Shh. It's not your fault. He's a sick man, Caleb. If he ever finds you again…promise me you'll have friends to help you out again. Okay? Don't run away forever because it won't do you any good and you'll just end up…oh God…"_

"_Tandi, please…"_

"_Promise, Caleb."_

"_I…I can't, Tandi. I can't let anyone else get hurt like this…"_

"_Don't be stupid, Caleb! Running won't do you any good!"_

"_Please…"_

"_Promise!"_

"_I c-can't…I can't…"_

_She started to insist again, but suddenly drew in a ragged breath and went limp._

_He picked her up and clutched her to his chest, sobbing harder. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"_

_She didn't reply, her eyes staring forward at nothing._

"_I won't run forever…not forever…I promise, not forever…please, you can run with me for a while, Tandi. Don't die, please. Please. No one's ever been nice to me before, Tandi, I don't want you to die. Please, please. I promised, so please don't die…please…"_

_(End Flashback)_

He could feel tears burning streaks down his cheeks as he came into the garage. He didn't bother hitting the breaks, and made a sharp turn, getting ready to turn around, leave the Tower, and go out into the town again, but the turn was too sharp and his bike turned onto its side, screeching shrilly across the floor.

He pushed it off himself as he and it continued to screech across the ground, and his helmet fell off as he finally came to a stop. He began to sob like he hadn't since that day when he was eight, curling up into a tight ball as the burns from his slide began to hurt through his adrenaline.

He cried until he passed out from pain and exhaustion. _'I kept my promise, Tandi…'_

(THE RUSH)


	16. The Infirmary

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

"Tandi." He woke with a gasp and sat up, the faces and memories still burning in his mind.

He let out a deep sigh and buried his face in his hands for a moment before running them through his hair and realizing with a start that he wasn't in the garage anymore.

In fact, he wasn't even in his room—he looked around and decided he must be in a hospital of some sort, with all the machines surrounding him. And since the machinery looked so advanced, he decided he must be in the Tower infirmary. He was glad—he hated hospitals.

He looked around again and saw the other Titans and the Original sprawled out about the room, all of them sleeping, and wondered vaguely how long he'd been in here.

The Comic Relief and the Dolt were leaning against each other, both of them drooling. Cyborg was in a seemingly uncomfortable position in one of the chairs, a snot bubble expanding and contracting as he snored. The Kid was as stiff as always, even asleep, and the Sorceress was as graceful as always, curled up in one of the chairs with a book folded open in her lap but slipping as she breathed. The Original was sitting a few chairs away from the rest, sleeping like a regular human being instead of in the strange ways the Titans were. He thought he saw a communicator clutched tightly in the Original's hand.

The Sorceress was, predictably, the first to rouse and see him awake.

She stood, placing her book carefully in the seat, and went to his side. "You've been in here for a day." She said, as if she knew he'd been wondering (she may have, with her powers).

"What happened?" He asked quietly.

"We found you in the garage." She replied, giving him an inquisitive look.

He nodded.

"You were scratched up pretty badly, and your eyes were puffy and red." Her voice was both accusing and questioning at the same time.

He just shrugged.

True to her nature, she didn't push. "Cyborg carried you here and Robin propped your bike up—it's just scratched up some, if you were wondering. I healed you, mostly. You'll just be sore for a few days." She bit her lip. "I…_we_ were worried, especially after you ran off like that."

"Sorry for worrying you." He mumbled, looking away from her.

"You were muttering." She continued. "And you cried a few times."

He shrugged again.

She didn't say anything for a moment. "Who's Tandi?"

He jerked at the name, but shook his head. "No one."

She frowned, but again didn't push, instead going to his side and checking the remnants of his injuries through the bandages. "You know…it helps to talk about stuff." She said, not looking up at his face. "I'm probably the last person who should be saying that…but it does. The Titans…all of us…are here for you, Rush, if you need to talk. Cyborg…and me…especially."

He blinked at her confusedly, and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off.

"Friend Rush! You have awakened!"

The Dolt's squeal woke up of the occupants of the room, and they crowded around him.

"Dude, are you okay?" The Comic Relief said.

"I'm fine." He waved them off.

"You looked like you cried yourself unconscious." Cyborg said.

"I'm _fine_." He repeated, his voice a bit icier.

They all stopped, noticing his slight growl, and no one spoke for a moment.

The Original thrust his hand forward suddenly, showing him a communicator. "I joined. I shouldn't have done it—it'll only bring trouble—but I did. You…you were right. Running won't help, and I…I _do _need help…to keep those clones from taking me back and making more."

He nodded. "Whatever." He stepped off of the bed, carefully testing his legs before he decided it was safe, but a bit painful, to walk. "Where's my shirt?"

"Here it is, Friend Rush!" The Dolt handed it to him, smiling brightly.

"Thanks." He pulled it on, fingering a hole in the side.

"You need a new one." The Kid remarked. "Do you have any more in your room?"

"No. I'll have to go get more material." He replied.

"More material…?" Cyborg trailed off.

"To make more costumes." He rolled his eyes, exasperated. Wasn't Cyborg supposed to be one of the smart ones around here?

"Dude, you make your own costumes?" The Comic Relief snickered.

"Problem?" His tone was icy again.

"No, no, you just don't strike me as the sewing type."

"Whatever." He said again with a roll of his eyes, beginning to feel really agitated. "I'll be in the training room if anyone needs me."

"Hey, why don't you and Maxwell spar, and we can see how far along he is." The Kid suggested.

He shook his head. "I just feel like beating the crap out of something right now."

"You aren't still mad about the thing at the pizza place, are you?" The Original grimaced. "I'm really sorry about that, I just…"

He cut him off with a glare that made even the Sorceress cringe. "Listen closely, _Max_, because I'm not repeating myself: I don't like you. At all. You piss me off. You bring up way too many memories I'd rather have forgotten about. I'm not going to be your 'best buddy' by any means. I'll train with you, I'll fight alongside you, and I'll even save your ass when it's necessary, but don't take it personally because I could care less." He turned and left the room.

"I'm guessing that's a yes…" He heard the Comic Relief say as the doors slid closed behind him.

(THE RUSH)


	17. The Original's Breakfast Brawl

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

He smirked as he knocked on the door of their newest member's room.

It peeked open. "Yes?"

"Good morning, Maxwell." He greeted cheerfully as he grabbed the boy and pulled him out of the room, ignoring the poor kid's protest. "Time for breakfast!"

"Umm…okay?"

"Meat!"

"Tofu!"

"Meat!"

"Tofu!"

"Pudding!"

…

"Didn't we decide yesterday to let them try all three?"

"Right! But he'll like meat best!"

"Dude, tofu!"

"Pudding!"

There was another long pause, and he had finally dragged the Original into the dining room.

"This is the Breakfast Brawl." He informed the confused boy as he pushed the Original into a chair. "Call it our way of welcoming you to the team. You will be forced to try Starfire's pudding, Beast Boy's tofu, and Cyborg's meat platter. If you survive, you can stay."

"But if you die, I'm afraid you'll have to leave." The Sorceress added with a smirk. He snickered and winked at her. She blushed, and his grin widened.

"Oh, no, really, I couldn't." The Original said as three plates were placed in front of him. "I've already caused too much trouble…I'll make my own breakfast…"

"You can't break tradition, or we'll all be very insulted." He tsked, though he was sure he had a very disconcerting smirk on his face by this point. "Especially poor Starfire, and didn't we already have a talk about not making pretty girls cry?"

On cue, and showing more intelligence than he had ever given her credit for before, the Dolt jutted her lip out, made her eyes widen and sparkle with tears, and clasped her hands together.

"Please, New Friend Maxwell?" She sniffled.

The Original, like so many before him, crumbled at the sight of tears with a deep sigh. "Fine."

The Dolt brightened immediately. "Yay!"

"And so another man falls to the great persuader that is Starfire." Cyborg said in all seriousness, and they all laughed, with the exception of the Sorceress, though she did smirk.

"Alright, alright, you can stop with the dramatics now." The Original said, flushing, and picked up a spoon, dipping it into the Dolt's pudding.

"Dude, what's up with all the new guys goin' for Star's pudding?" The Comic Relief asked.

"I did it so your and Cyborg's food could wash it down, but I think he did it 'cause he's afraid of hurting Starfire's feelings." He snickered.

"That'd be _your_ fault." Cyborg chortled.

"Yeah. But don't tell me you wouldn't have beat him up if he actually _had_ hurt her feelings."

"Well…that's true…"

"Shh, he's about to eat it." The Sorceress hushed them, and suddenly the Tower was so deathly quiet that crickets would have chirped had this been some sort of children's cartoon. However, since this was most certainly _not_ a children's cartoon, it was just _very_ quiet.

The Original paled, realizing as he had the day before that he probably _shouldn't_ have gone for the pudding first, but bravely stuck the foul concoction into his mouth. The color returned to his cheeks as he swallowed, looking relieved.

"Jeez, you guys had me scared I was gonna die." The Original sighed, running a hand through his hair and then putting it over his heart in a relieved manner.

"Dude, the new guys have wicked strong stomachs or something." The Comic Relief screeched disbelievingly. "That stuff almost killed _me_!"

"New Friend Maxwell, you enjoyed the cooking of Tameranian cuisine that I spent so much time preparing for you?" The Dolt asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him.

Maybe the Dolt wasn't as stupid as he had always thought…she was certainly getting pretty good at manipulating the poor new guy…or maybe…_just_ maybe…was he creating a _monster_ out of the once innocent Tameranian princess…?

"Uh…I don't…hate it…?" The Original ventured weakly, giving her a smile that looked rather like a grimace.

"Wondrous!" She squealed happily, throwing her arms around him.

"Urk!"

"Starfire, he just ate. You might make him throw up if you keep squeezing him like that." The Sorceress interjected, putting a hand on the Dolt's shoulder.

"Oh! You are right, Friend Raven!" The Dolt exclaimed, immediately releasing the bright reddish-purple boy. "I apologize, New Friend Maxwell!"

"I'm okay." The Original rasped, gasping for air.

Again, everyone waited patiently for the Original to regain his breath (should it disturb him that he was getting used to stuff like this happening…?).

"Now try my tofu!" The Comic relief exclaimed, pushing his plate forward.

"Alright…I guess…" The Original said hesitantly, picking up a piece of tofu and eating it. He stiffened, but swallowed without any other reaction, taking a short sip of water before eating another piece, as if checking to make sure it really _was_ that bad. "Ehm…not bad, I suppose…"

"You have one heck of a stomach, Maxwell." He said, impressed.

"My dad was in the military." The Original shrugged. "If it's even slightly edible, I can usually eat it, with a few exceptions."

"Yeah, and I've lived on the streets all my life—I still couldn't but hardly force that tofu stuff down." He said. "Like I said: one heck of a stomach."

The Original gave him a surprised look. "You lived on the streets?"

He nodded. "Yeah. That really so surprising?"

"I suppose not. But it explains some stuff."

He felt his eyebrow drift upwards. "Like…?"

"Like you making your own costumes. And…well, you kind of have a scruffy attitude."

"Scruffy…" He repeated slowly, testing the word out on his tongue. That was one word he had never heard used to describe him before…he wondered if it was a step up or backwards from the cuss words he usually heard…?

"I didn't mean it in a bad way. You're just…well, rough around the edges. Not like most of the other superheroes I've met. Just…scruffy."

"Trust me, Red's not like any of the other superheroes you've ever met." Cyborg chuckled.

"Definitely not." The Sorceress agreed.

"In _any_ case," He interrupted, shooting the two a sharp look, "Try Cyborg's now."

The Original smiled. "Well, I _can_ eat just about anything, but real, good food isn't something I turn down often." He said, stabbing some food and eating it. "'S good."

"Thank you." Cyborg said, smirking at the Comic Relief.

"Dude, this is so not fair!" The Comic Relief yelled angrily, stomping his foot on the ground as if to emphasize his point.

"No one ever said life was fair." The Sorceress shrugged.

"Just like no one's ever said your tofu is good." He added, snickering. He could have sworn the Sorceress was going to smile, or maybe even giggle, but she quelled it at the last moment and smirked at him instead.

"Dude!"

"Now, so long as the Clones don't show up again, today will be perfect…" The Original said as everyone sat down and began stuffing themselves.

"Dude, don't even worry about it." The Comic Relief said, apparently quick to get over their latest jab (he was probably used to it by now, seeing as how he had lived with the Sorceress for so long). "Even if they _do_ show up again, we'll totally be able to handle them."

The Original sighed. "I'm not so sure…"

He smacked the other boy upside the head. "Leave the paranoia up to our great and fearless leader." He said. "One obsessively paranoid nut job is more than enough, thanks."

"Where _is_ Robin?" Cyborg asked, looking around.

"Where else? Looking up stuff about those clones." The Sorceress said.

"That or training." He said. "It's not very hard to figure that guy out."

"You don't give him enough credit, Red." Cyborg said. "He's not so bad."

He shrugged. "It's nothing personal. I'm sure he's a _fine_ fellow. I just don't like him."

"You don't like many people, do you?" The Original asked curiously.

He paused thoughtfully. "No…I don't suppose I do. Call it the effects of living on the streets for so long. Trusting and liking people…isn't really something I'm a big fan of doing easily."

"So, basically, people have to prove themselves to you before you'll like or trust them?" The Sorceress asked.

"You could put it that way." He nodded slowly. "Yeah, that sounds about right. I'm the product of a rotten childhood, I s'pose. But I'm no worse for the wear, really. I'm probably better off this way than trusting anybody and everybody I meet."

"I believe it is better to trust and like everyone." The Dolt said, smiling cheerfully but completely serious at the same time. "Everyone has some good in them."

"Not everyone…" He said softly, wincing.

"Everyone." She repeated stubbornly.

"Not the Clones." The Original piped up.

"Would you _stop_ with the clone thing already?" He asked exasperatedly.

"Fine, but when they show up and someone gets hurt…"

"They aren't going to hurt anyone!" Everyone chorused.

"Badly, anyways." He added helpfully.

"Red, I liked you better when you were unconscious." Cyborg sighed.

He smirked and winked impishly at the metallic half-man. "I get that a lot."

(THE RUSH)


	18. The Revelation

_**Blanket Disclaimer:** Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

Despite the Original's paranoia about the Clones showing back up and destroying everyone, nothing of any particular interest happened until a week later.

It was something that would make him eat the words he had spoken in the infirmary, though up until then he had kept up the promise, keeping a semi-icy wall between himself and the Original (barring the Breakfast Brawl, but who could stay icy during something as funny as _that_?).

And it began with the ringing of the Tower doorbell.

"Dude…we have a doorbell?" The Comic Relief asked, blinking.

"Obviously." He and the Sorceress rolled their eyes and exchanged an exasperated glance.

"I'll get it." He said, setting his fork down (they had been eating lunch). He stood and went to go out of the living room door to the elevator, but the door opened before he got there and a small boy stepped through it as if it were the most natural thing on Earth.

The boy had short, spiky auburn hair and detached icy blue eyes. He looked about eight or nine years old, and wore a black leather suit reminiscent of the Original's, but actually reminding him more of the Clones' with the digitized gloves and boots, though they glowed red instead of yellow.

He stiffened, and his hands balled into fists as he recognized the boy as himself at that age, and the small 'Methuss Industries' patch over the right side of the boy's chest. His eyes narrowed.

"Hello." Gods, it even had his voice! "My name is Omega Neo. I'm here for Omega Prime. If he won't come with me now, I'll steal him later." The boy informed them emotionlessly.

"Who…sent you…?" He gritted out through clenched teeth.

"Epsilon Methuss of Methuss Industries."

"Rush—" The Original began, standing, but didn't finish.

He had rushed forward and grabbed the kid's neck, slamming him into the wall.

"What are you doing?" The Boy asked, still without any emotion.

"Tell Epsilon that Caleb Dawson said if he ever comes near Maxwell or Jump City again I'll bite his other thumb off!" He yelled. "He ever _dares_ to send a clone of _me_ around here again and I _won't_ hesitate to march back up to Bludhaven and rip his head off like I should've done eight years ago when he murdered Tandi and Kylan Summers!"

The Boy eyes widened slightly as his face turned red and he gasped for air. "Y-_you_…!"

"That's right, _me_! Get outta here and don't come back if you know what's good for you!" He threw the boy up and kicked him hard in the chest, sending him crashing out of the window.

A wire shot into the ceiling, the Boy pulling himself back up into the room.

"I'm under orders not to leave until I have Prime." The Boy said, smirking. "And I'm sure the boss will be very pleased with me for bringing _you_ to him, Dawson. We've been looking for you for quite a long time. As you can see, your blood is quite good for cloning."

"I said get out of here, you little brat!" He snarled.

The Boy crouched into an all too familiar fighting stance, smirk widening. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Dawson. At the very least not until I have Prime, but I'll take you, too, I think. C'mon, I'll tell them to let you live if you come quietly. Maybe they'll even make clones of Tandi and Kylan for you using the blood samples they've got, if you're _really_ good."

"Shut up!" He roared, punching the Boy in the gut, but the Boy just took it, hardly moving at all.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's not nice to hit people who're younger than you?" The Boy asked as it grabbed his hand, throwing him over its shoulder.

He flipped through the air and landed neatly on his feet, tackling the Boy and pinning it to the ground, one knee digging into the Boy's back and his arms keeping its arms down. "Anyone ever tell you it's not prudent to fight with your betters, you cheap imitation?"

The Boy bristled, struggling futilely to escape his hold. "I'm not a cheap imitation!"

"You're a fake, you stupid brat! A second-rate _clone_! You're an _expensive_ _toy_!"

"Shut up! I'm not!"

"You aren't _real_, that's for sure!" He said, letting the Boy up only to grab him by his collar again and lift him up. "Trust me on this one, boy—a fake is _never_ as good as an original, and you don't get much more original than me! Go tell your _boss_ to screw himself and get a better copy machine while he's at it, 'cause if you're supposed to be my perfect clone I'd hate to see an imperfect one! Go on and get outta here!" He pushed the Boy towards the broken window.

"I'm not a fake!" The Boy yelled hoarsely, eyes filled with tears. "I'm not a copy and I'm just as good as you are! I'm real, I am! I'm real!"

"Yeah, go tell that to someone who cares! Because of you and your _boss,_ the only people I ever cared about and who cared about me are _dead_! The next time I see either one of you I'll return the favor and kill you, so go on before I lose my temper!"

The Boy choked on a sob. "I swear—I swear one day I'll prove to you I'm real!" He shrieked, and disappeared without any further ado.

He let out an angry roar and punched the wall, feeling it crumble a bit beneath the force of the blow, blood trickling down his arm and the wall.

"F-Friend Rush?" The Dolt squeaked.

He looked sharply over at them, letting his gaze rest on the Original. "Methuss Industries? _That's_ who's after you?" He demanded.

"Y-yes." The Original sputtered.

He let out a long stream of curses as he ran his bloodied hand through his hair.

"I thought I was rid of them. I thought it was _over_! I outran them for eight years!" He punched the wall again. "Tandi was right! Running doesn't solve anything!"

"Rush, calm down!" The Sorceress snapped, forcing him to sit on the couch with a shadow as they did the same. "Now explain what you're talking about. How do you know that kid?"

He laughed bitterly. "That kid is _me_. _Was_ me." He wanted to punch something again.

"How—?" The Kid began.

"Shut up." He snapped. "I'm getting to it. Eight years ago…when I was eight years old I was a street rat. I stole to live and like an _idiot_ I stole to help other people live, too. One day this guy saw me, and cornered me in an alley. Made an offer…he wanted me to let him clone me, to make 'an army of super clones' to take over the world and whatnot. I said no, and he had his thugs try to help him force me, so I bit his thumb off and ran. I ended up at this woman's house…her name was Tandi. I never…no one was ever nice to me before that. Not like she was, anyhow. I'd run into someone who'd give me some money or food or something, but she actually took me into her home, even though I could tell she could hardly afford to take care of herself and her little brother—Kylan—and…" He growled at himself. "I shouldn't have been so stupid!"

"Why? What happened, Friend Rush?" Starfire asked, wide-eyed.

"Epsilon showed up not an hour later, after Kylan had gotten home from school. I thought I was safe for a while, at least, or I'd have left as soon as I got out of the shower, or I wouldn't have gone in. She…_defended_ me. A kid off the streets…she hadn't known me for more than an hour or two and she tried to keep him from finding me like I was _family_ or something. He pulled a gun on her and said for her to tell him where I was or he'd shoot her and Kylan. So I…I came out of Kylan's room and told him to leave them alone. My life is _mine_, and I want to live as much as the next person but _no one_, least of all her and her brother, should have to die for _me_. Why should they? I wouldn't be missed—just another rat off the streets."

"Rush…" Cyborg began, but he shook his head.

"She tried to defend me again and he shot her. Twice—stomach and chest. Kylan tried to go to her and he got shot, too, in the head. I attacked Epsilon and got the gun and told him to leave. He tried to get it back but I shot him in the leg and he left. Tandi…she was still alive, but she knew she was gonna die. I guess I did, too, but…she tried to make me promise to run and stay away from Bludhaven, but to find some friends and stick with them so I'd be safe. I wouldn't promise until after she was dead." He buried his face in his hands. "I wanted her to live. _God_ I wanted her to live. Her and Kylan both. I'd have died a thousand times…they shouldn't have had to die because of _me_. I wasn't worth it, but they…" He clenched his hands in his hair, swallowing. "I ran, and I never looked back. I kept running. _Eight years_ I spent running. Most countries—all of the continents—he never found me again but I wouldn't stay in one place for long before I was gone again. I thought I finally lost him…outran the memories…"

"I'm sorry." The Original said softly.

"Shut it." He snapped, looking up. "If I'd known it was _him_ you were running from in the first place that clone of yours _wouldn't_ have gotten away and you _wouldn't_ have gotten a choice at all about whether or not to join the Titans."

The Original grimaced and pulled out his communicator, offering it sheepishly.

He smacked it away. "Are you _stupid_ or something? I'm saying I'll _help_ you, you idiot. Kill the clones, blow up Methuss headquarters, kill Epsilon, whatever—I'm in." He held out a hand.

The Original blinked, then grinned and took the proffered hand, shaking it. "Cool."

"Yeah, whatever. Don't get all mushy on me or take it personally—I _still_ don't like you." But he smirked to let the Original know he was joking.

"Well doesn't this look like the start of a beautiful friendship?" Cyborg asked, laughing.

"A friendship, maybe, but I don't know how beautiful it'll be." He chuckled.

"Let us go out for the eating of—"

"Pizza!" The Comic Relief exclaimed loudly before the Dolt could confuse everyone with her slightly muddled English.

Everyone laughed—even the Sorceress chortled a bit—and they left to go consume a couple round circular discs of cheesy goodness…better known as pizza.

(THE RUSH)


	19. The Poor Man's Hero

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

"Your real name's Caleb Dawson, then?" The Sorceress asked.

He glared at her. "_Don't_ call me that. _Ever_." He snapped. "I haven't been him in a _long_ time—for all I care Caleb Dawson died eight years ago."

"But I believe that Caleb Dawson is a nice name, Friend Rush." The Dolt protested.

He snorted. "Caleb Dawson was a nobody. He came from nowhere and he was on his way to _going_ nowhere. I dropped him when Tandi and Kylan died and you're going to drop him now."

"So…are they part of why you became a superhero, then?" The Kid asked almost tentatively.

Another snort. "Not hardly." He twirled his straw around in his drink, a sad expression in his eyes as he sighed deeply. "Not hardly."

"…Why?" The Original asked softly.

"It's…complicated." He decided, jaw setting as his lips pulled into a frown. The swirling of the straw became a jerky, agitated movement. "And I don't want to talk about my past anymore."

Cyborg cleared his throat, taking everyone's attention away from the obviously uncomfortable ex(?)-thief. "Y'know, I heard there's a kickin' new videogame coming out." He said.

"Oh! The one with the guys and the robots and the lasers and stuff?" The Comic Relief jumped onto the new point in the conversation, which had been taking an uncomfortable turn.

"That's the one." Cyborg agreed with a nod (how did they keep up with this?). "Why don't we go check the game store after the pizza's done and see if they've got it in yet?"

"That is a wondrous idea, Friend Cyborg!" The Dolt gushed.

"Because we don't have enough video games already." The Sorceress agreed sarcastically.

"Dude, you can _never_ have enough video games." The Comic Relief said as if what she had implied with her statement was the craziest thing he'd ever heard.

"Why don't Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire go look at the game? I really need to investigate those clones some more…" The Kid began, looking over at the Original. "You'll be helping me with that, by the way."

He rolled his eyes as the Original blinked.

"So…if I said I was going to train, would that get me out of it?" The Original asked slowly.

"No." The Kid snapped.

The Original grimaced but nodded acquiescently, looking down at his plate almost huffily.

"And I have some meditation to catch up on." The Sorceress spoke up.

"And I really feel like burning something." He stated, more seriousness in his remark than they were comfortable with. They stared at him, and he immediately went on the defensive. "I won't actually _do_ it, I was just saying I _feel_ like it…"

"Ah…Beast Boy, you and Star check out the game. I'd like to talk to Red for a while." Cyborg said decidedly, in a tone that brooked no room for arguments.

"Alright." The Comic Relief said, pushing away his empty plate. "Let's go then! C'mon, Star!"

"I am coming, Friend Beast Boy!" The Dolt chirped, and they disappeared down the street.

"We're all headed back to the Tower?" The Kid asked as everyone else headed toward the T-car.

"Actually, I was planning on throwing myself into the ocean from the T-car." He drawled, feeling even more cynical and annoyed towards the Kid and his horrendously inane comments than usual. "Midday swim and all that, y'know."

"Don't get snappy with Robin just because you're in a bad mood." The Sorceress said.

"As opposed to you, who has _never_ gotten snappy with anyone when you're in a bad mood?" He asked derisively, rolling his eyes in accompaniment to his biting remark.

"Look, it isn't our fault some whacko screwed up your past and is going after you and Maxwell, so don't take it out on us!" She snapped.

"It wasn't anyone else's fault your father was a crazed demon who wanted to use your body as a portal so he could destroy the world, but that didn't stop _you_ from lashing out at anyone and everyone, did it?" He retorted as they climbed into the car.

"That was different!"

"How so?"

"It's a much bigger deal to be bringing about the end of the world!"

"Yeah, 'cause that _definitely_ isn't what Epsilon is planning to do with the super clones he wants to make of Maxwell and I, is it? _Real_ different, Raven!"

"Would you both just shut up?" Cyborg asked.

"No!" He growled, keeping his glare fixed on the Sorceress. "You didn't think of _that_, did you? Just because we aren't in some fancy prophecy doesn't mean we can't be part of the cause for some apocalyptic event! I think I have a right to be a bit snappy!"

"A _bit_ snappy? It's more than a _bit_!"

"Just shut up, would you? Mind your own business!"

"My leader—my _friend_—_is_ my business, thank you very much!"

He flinched and said nothing in reply, turning to glower out the window at the passing scenery. He could feel her gaze on him but ignored it, a tense silence falling over the T-car.

"Superheroes don't help." He broke the silence quietly, but everyone heard him.

"What are you talking about?" The Original asked, confused.

"You wanted to know why I didn't become a superhero after Tandi and Kylan died, didn't you?" He asked, growing angry again. "It's because superheroes don't help."

"What do you mean? We help all the time." The Kid protested.

"Then why're they dead? There was a superhero in Bludhaven eight years ago—he didn't show up until _long_ after Epsilon had gotten away and both of them were gray and cold and covered in blood. And who would believe a street rat when he says one of the two richest businessmen in the world killed her? Why would one of those types kill people like Tandi and Kylan anyhow? They were just a step above me in the 'social ladder'."

"We can't save everyone." Cyborg said sadly.

"Yeah. You save the middle and rich class. No one steals from poor people, and no one attacks them enough for you guys to show up, either. Why would you save _them_? They're just a burden to society—you let them die and it's one less hobo to worry about."

"Rush, it's not like we do it on purpose." The Sorceress said.

"Oh, yeah, that helps _them_ a lot, doesn't it? Those people—most of them—work _harder_ than the people you actually _do_ save. When I was eight, before Epsilon showed up, I'd steal more than I needed and drop it near one of those families. And the mother would pick up the money or food or whatever and look up at the heavens and say, 'Thank you, thank you, God. Someone cares, someone's taking care of us.' But you can't help everyone, so the parents quit eating so their kids can have more food and starve to death, and the kids get sent to a home or start stealing or they die. But instead of helping, superheroes like _you_ use money they could use to feed themselves for _months_ to buy the newest video game." He laughed bitterly. "Yeah, you guys are _real_ heroes."

"Don't get mad at us—it isn't our fault. Maybe we don't help them, but we don't hurt them, either." The Kid said defensively.

He let out another mirthless laugh. "You don't? What about all of those small time thieves you guys lock up all the time? You think they steal because it's _fun_? Some of them do it to feed themselves, some got hooked on drugs because their family is too busy scrounging for food to care what they do in their spare time, and some do it to keep their kids with their family and out of a home. You think locking up one of their only sources of income doesn't hurt them? The ones that are too proud and noble to steal _die_. Trust me, I know."

"We're just doing our job." The Sorceress said.

"I know, okay? I know. I'm just saying…" He trailed off and turned back to the window. "It isn't important anyhow. If they die there's more room for _respectable citizens_."

"Don't be like that, dude." Cyborg said. "We—"

"Whatever. Drop it. Just…drop it. I shouldn't have said anything. It was stupid."

Everyone was quiet again, and no one spoke until they were back in the Tower.

(THE RUSH)


	20. The Arrogant Thief

_**Blanket Disclaimer:** Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse_

"You wanted to talk to me?" He asked, sitting on the T-car's hood and looking at Cyborg, who was now the only other person in the garage with him.

"I want to talk to you about your past. Caleb Dawson…Tandi and Kylan Summers…Epsilon Methuss…all of it." Cyborg said. "But first hand me that wrench—we're going to work on the new car while we talk."

"New car?"

"There's seven of us now, and you and Rob won't always ride your bikes, and the others won't always fly or whatever, so we need a bigger one. And don't try to change the subject. Spill."

"Spill what? I already told you everything."

"You gave them the watered down version so they wouldn't find out about you being Red X and so Star and BB wouldn't freak too bad. I ain't buyin', Red."

"What do you want from me? I'm not the 'spill your guts' type, okay? It's all in the past! It's over and done with! Leave it be!"

"If it's over and done with, why do you react so strongly when anyone mentions it? I might be made out of metal, but I still have a heart and I can still tell when someone's hurting."

"I'm not hurting! I hardly knew Tandi and Kylan, what would it matter to me if they died or not? Sure I feel guilty, and sure it was a shock at the time, but anyone would feel like that if someone got shot in front of them like that!"

"Who said I was just talking about them? You've got some real issues concerning those two, regardless of how long you knew them. So spill your guts to Big Brother Cyborg." The Metal Man adopted a singsong prompting voice. "You'll feel better, I promise."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I told you the gist of it. Methuss tried to force me to become the donor for some sort of super clone army, and I got away by biting his thumb off and beating off his thugs. I was eight, but living on the streets doesn't raise wimps."

"Okay. Screwdriver."

He handed the tool to him. "I ran for a long time and hid down an alley behind a dumpster, tried to wash out my mouth and threw up—that puddle of water was kind of like Starfire's pudding, but more watery." Cyborg made a face. "Tandi found me and brought me inside, let me take a shower and borrow some of her brother's clothes, made me cocoa and let me watch TV."

"Sounds like a nice woman."

He smiled a little, bitterly. "Yeah. Yeah, she was. No one ever…no one's ever treated me like she did. I mean, I'll be the first to admit I don't deserve kindness by any means, but still…"

"No one really _deserves_ kindness." Cyborg said, nodding sagely. "Ratchet."

"Anyhow…I think if she hadn't died, and if she'd let me stay there with her…I wouldn't have turned out like I have. I'd be…normal. Maybe I'd have even been a good guy the whole time, instead of becoming Red X and all, but…" He trailed off. "Anyhow, after a while her little brother, Kylan, came home, and we talked for a little bit, but it wasn't too long after he arrived that Methuss showed up. Kylan and I hid in his room. Tandi thought he was there for rent or something, but even when he told her what he wanted she stayed quiet."

"You said she defended you like you were family."

He gulped. "Yeah…" His voice was hoarse, for some reason, as he clenched his hands into fists and ground his teeth together. "Like family."

Cyborg pulled himself out from under the car and looked at him. "Go on." He said as he grabbed some tool or another and disappeared back under the car.

"Right." He wiped his eyes, wondering when he'd teared up. "He pulled a gun, I came out and told him to leave them alone—"

"I knew you weren't all bad."

"I guess." He shrugged, and continued when Cyborg waved a hand at him to signal he should do so. "She stepped in front of me and he shot her in the stomach, and again in her chest when she was on the ground. Kylan tried to go to her and got shot in the head. I attacked him, got the gun away from him, and shot his leg. He left, of course, and Tandi told me to run from Bludhaven, but not to run forever, and to make friends that could help keep me safe if and when he found me again." He shook his head. "I didn't want to drag anyone else into it, but she kept insisting…I didn't actually promise until after she'd died."

"And you ran for eight years." Cyborg finished for him.

"Yeah." He buried his face in his hands. "I didn't want her to die, Cyborg. She was such a good person…so unlike me…and Kylan was the same way. God I wish she hadn't died. I would die a thousand times if she…if _they_ could come back. I know that doesn't sound like me at all, but I would. They shouldn't have died." His voice dropped. "They shouldn't have died."

"Most people who die shouldn't have." Cyborg said. "My mom shouldn't have died, either."

He looked over at the metallic half-man. "Your mom?"

"She died in the accident that made me like this." Cyborg gestured at himself. "My dad couldn't save her, but he saved me…if you can call _this_ saving me."

"At least you're alive." He said. "You're better off than most."

"Maybe it would've been better if I'd died, though."

"No. No, it wouldn't. At the risk of sounding clichéd and sappy…I kinda like having you around. Without you, the Titans all would've died by now from food poisoning."

Cyborg laughed. "Very true, very true. You're kinda nice to have around, too, for an ex-con."

"I'm not an ex-con." He said, and smirked when Cyborg gave him a surprised look. "I've never been convicted, y'know."

Cyborg's mechanical eyebrows rose. "You haven't?"

"You guys never caught me, did you?" Cyborg shook his head. "Well, you came far closer than anyone else ever has."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. Most people never even know I've been around 'til long after I'm gone."

"Hmm…that's strange…how come?"

"How come what?"

"How come we're the only ones to ever know you're here?"

He paused. "I've actually wondered about that myself."

"And…?"

He sighed. "I'm not sure. Maybe…part of me was trying to keep my promise to Tandi, and I guess you guys are just about the best I could find."

"Oh, thanks a lot…"

He blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so harsh. You guys are pretty okay, for a bunch of self-righteous do-gooders."

Cyborg laughed loudly. "_We're_ self-righteous? That's pretty rich coming from you!"

He joined in the other teenager's laughter. "Anyhow, I s'pose some part of me wanted to get caught. And only by you guys. You provide me with quite a bit of entertainment, too, not to mention the Kid's pretty fun to tick off."

"I'm not sure if I should feel insulted or honored."

"Feel both, then."

Cyborg snorted. "You're quite the arrogant little thief, aren't you?"

"But of course." He smirked haughtily. "And with good reason."

Cyborg rolled his human eye. "I guess you don't do anything halfway, do you?"

"Not usually. Sometimes I do…if I feel like it." He replied with a shrug.

"So what happened after you ran from Bludhaven?"

"Not much interesting…I stowed away on a boat and went to Europe, where I continued my small time stealing until I was about twelve. That's when I started going into big time stuff. No one trusted me, at first, since I was so young and, to add insult to injury, small for my age, but…I made them respect me by being the best. I used my stature to my advantage. I mean, as soon as I'd stolen whatever it was all I had to do was blend with whatever crowd was nearest—who would suspect some poor little kid as a master thief, eh?"

Cyborg chuckled. "Yeah."

"I kept up with that, using my profits to travel all over—Russia, Asia, Africa, Canada, South America, and finally back to the States when I was fifteen. That's when I ended up back in Jump City, stole Robin's costume and became Red X. I sort of made Jump my home base after that—I owned a little shack outside of town that's my base of operations, but still traveled all over wherever the job took me. I really was in Mexico before I joined up here."

"Doing what?"

"One of the few more honest jobs I get every once in a while. This older couple I've done a job or two for had something else for me. They collect art—legitimately, as far as I know, and I've never stolen a piece for them so I'm fairly certain it's true—and allowed a museum to use a few of their more valuable and rare pieces. When they went to get their stuff back, the museum said it didn't know what they were talking about, and that the pieces were theirs. Supposedly they'd put a clause in the contract they wrote up that said the couple was signing over the pieces to them."

"Yikes."

"Yeah. So they called me up and explained everything to me, offering a pretty hefty sum for me to retrieve the pieces for them. I did, of course. That couple had always been nice to me and all, and I don't turn down money if I can help it. I went in and stole the pieces, then snuck into the office where the contract was kept. It turned out the couple really _hadn't_ signed a contract saying the pieces would go to the museum, but the curator had used their signatures on the real contract to sign a phony one. I dressed myself up as a fake lawyer and went with the couple to the police. The curator was arrested and the couple paid me double what they'd been paying me before."

"So Mr. I-Don't-Play-Hero did?" Cyborg snickered.

He rolled his eyes. "Haha, very funny. I do pull off a few good deeds here and there, and like I said: they doubled my paycheck, so I didn't do it for nothing."

"You thought you were." Cyborg pointed out with a smirk.

He scowled. "Yeah, I guess I did. I can be a nice guy when the mood takes me."

Cyborg laughed loudly, the sound echoing out from beneath the car. "I tell ya, Red, you don't like to admit it but you're really a big softy when it comes right down to it."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, metal man." He said, and they both laughed, falling into a companionable silence only broken by Cyborg's occasional requests for a tool.

(THE RUSH)


	21. The Clones

_**Blanket Disclaimer:** Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse_

_And now we will switch over to the _other_ Dawson's point of view…his clone, that is…_

He cursed himself vehemently in his mind as he slipped into the apartment the Boss had supplied for him while he and the clones were in Jump City on 'business'.

How could he have let that weak fool get to him? He had nearly _cried_, for God's sake!

Everyone at Methuss Industries knew he was by far the best in the business.

Even the other clones, those 'super clones' of Omega Prime, couldn't compare to him, and he made sure they were well aware of that fact.

"So where's Prime, Neo?"

'_Speak of the devils…_' He looked up into the sneering face of one of the aforementioned super clones, the one he knew to be Omega Three, the most temperamental of the clones.

"Shut it, Three. We have a problem." He snapped as he logged onto his laptop.

"Don't tell me that second-rate human boy got to you, too?" Four asked with a roll of his eyes.

"What second-rate human boy?" He asked, giving them a long, hard glare. "Did you four neglect to mention something when you came back from your _disastrous_ mission last week?"

The first three clones gave Four, the more scatterbrained of the clones, a hard glare.

"Boss told us about those five freaks that protect this city, but there was a sixth one." One said, crossing his arms over his chest. "The orange chick called him 'New Friend Rush'. We didn't think he was important enough to mention."

He grabbed One's collar and twisted his arm so that One was sent tumbling to the ground in front of him, his hand still fisted in the material as he thrust his knee into the clone's stomach.

"You aren't here to _think_, you're here to _do_! _Anything_ on a mission that is unexpected, no matter how _unimportant_ you deem it, is to be reported to me! You bumbling idiot!" He easily tossed the super clone into the wall. "Your idiocy cost me my mission! This _will_ be reported!"

"You little upstart!" Three snarled. "If you were worth your salt one unknown variable wouldn't have effected your oh-so-precious mission!"

"That _unknown variable_ was Caleb Dawson, you imbecile!"

The super clones stopped short and gaped at him as he sat down, beginning to type up his report.

"That's right! Caleb Dawson! The man _I'm_ cloned after! Still think he's not important enough to mention?" He didn't wait for them to reply, turning on Three. "And don't you _ever_ talk back to me again, Three! In case you'd forgotten, _I'm_ the oldest clone here, no matter what age I look! I hold seniority over _all_ of you, and you know very well I can easily take you down!"

"Not so easy to take down the person you're cloned after, though, is it?" Two finally spoke up, smirking. "All this time you've been hounding _us_ about it—it's about time you got a taste of what it's like. Still think we're weaklings?"

"Yes." He said. "Remember, you four are supposed to be _super_ clones. You ought to be able to _kill_ your original without blinking an eye. You ought to be able to beat _me_ without blinking an eye, but you're all too weak to do any of that! The _four_ of you can hardly hold your own against _your_ original fighting _together_, and I did the same _alone_. Some perfect super clones _you_ are." His top lip curled into a sneer. "So don't try my patience, Two."

"Ah, shut up, Neo." Three said, though all four of them had sobered considerably.

"In any case, it doesn't matter." One said. "What're we going to do about Dawson?"

He looked at the reply he'd received. "Boss wants him alive." He said, shutting his laptop.

"What? _Why_?" Four asked, frowning deeply. "He's gonna have Prime back before too long, what does he need that idiot for? Doesn't he want him dead for biting off his thumb eight years ago? He doesn't need anyone else to clone, does he?"

He rolled his eyes. "Why? Why do you _think_, Four? I'm not even a super clone of him and I'm already at _least_ as strong as he is. Think of what a super clone would be like! He wouldn't even have to wait for them to grow up like he's having to with me, since his scientists have made so many advances since I was cloned. Dawson is a _perfect_ specimen for cloning. If only I'd been able to fight him eight years ago, then we'd know how much he's improved! Based on what I know of him and my own development, he's made _spectacular_ progress in just eight short years! Think how powerful a super clone would be with the ability to improve that much in so short a time! The Boss would have no problems whatsoever taking over with an army like that."

"What about us?" Two asked.

He shrugged. "We would all be obsolete. We might be allowed to train them until they surpass us, along with training the next batch of super clones he makes from Prime, but after that we'll probably be disposed of since we'll have outlived our usefulness."

"And you don't have a problem with that? Don't you think—" Three began.

"I wasn't made to think of anything beyond my orders, and neither were you." He cut him off sharply. "We do what we're told—nothing more, nothing less! If the boss wants to get rid of us, that's his decision, not ours!"

"How can you be satisfied with that?" Three asked.

He punched the clone hard in the stomach, sending him crashing to the floor. "Shut up! We've all known this was a possibility, so don't act so surprised! We weren't created to be satisfied, we were created to fulfill our purpose, then die! You all know this! It's the way it is!"

"I can't accept that!" Three wheezed. "I don't want to die!"

"It doesn't _matter_ what we want, Three, don't you get it yet? We're made, we train, we fight, and once that's done we die. That's the entirety of our existence, no matter what we want, think, hope, or dream!" He said, hands on his hips. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, boys, but that's the way it always has been and always will be!"

They were staring at him with some new understanding in their eyes.

"You don't want this any more than we do, do you?" One asked.

He snorted. "Of course I don't, you dolt. Didn't you hear me? It doesn't _matter_ what we want."

"Why not? Methuss couldn't stop us if we decided not to do what he says anymore!" Two said.

"You really _are_ stupid, aren't you? Have you forgotten about the failsafe? We put one toe out of line and we speed up our own deaths! The Boss can easily replace us! If you want to live as long as you can, you'll stop thinking and do what you're told, no questions asked!"

"But are we really living?" Four asked quietly, looking from one face to another for the answer.

No one spoke for a moment.

"Of course not." He said finally, his voice grim as he spoke. "Even if we _didn't_ follow the Boss's orders we're still no more than clones. We don't have lives—we've copied someone else's. This is as much of a life as we can ever have, whether we're following the Boss's orders, someone else's, or our own." He started towards his room. "Now all of you go get some sleep. We've got a lot of work to do tomorrow."

The super clones exchanged an almost melancholy glance, but headed towards their respective rooms without another word.

He waited until the monitor at his bedside informed him they were all asleep, then pulled out a large metal box from beneath his bed. He opened it and removed four syringes of a special serum he'd been given at the start of his mission.

'_If they start rebelling, stick them with this._' The Boss had ordered as he was given the box.

He sighed as he made sure there was no air in the syringes, traveling to each super clone's room and injecting them with it.

He watched impassively as their faces screwed up into deep grimaces, though whether it was from pain or something else he didn't know, but their expressions soon softened again as they settled back into their sleep.

He carefully disposed of the syringes and went back into his room, removing a fifth syringe from the box and rubbing alcohol on the inside of his elbow.

'_I cannot be allowed to have these thoughts._' He told himself coldly. '_I was created for one purpose and I will fulfill it!_'

"_Anyone ever tell you it's not prudent to fight with your betters, you cheap imitation? You're a fake, you stupid brat! A second-rate clone! You're an expensive toy!"_

His hand shook and his eyes stung with tears against his will as he thought of what Dawson had said to him. He shook his head to clear it and pressed the needle against his arm.

"_And you don't have a problem with that? How can you be satisfied with that? You don't want this any more than we do, do you?"_

His hand shook again and the syringe fell to the floor, breaking and causing its contents to spill.

He didn't bother to clean up the mess, crawling into his bed and curling up into a ball. His body shook once and he began to sob brokenly, keeping his cries as quiet as possible.

_'I don't want to die.'_

(THE RUSH)


	22. The Sorceress

_**Blanket Disclaimer:** Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

He woke with a sad feeling deep in his gut, as if he had lost something.

He stumbled out of bed into the bathroom, gazing at the tired, tear-stained face staring back at him from within the confines of the mirror.

'_That's weird…why was I crying last night?_' He wondered. '_I'm sure I would have remembered if I'd had another dream about Tandi…right?_'

He shook his head and turned the shower on, stripping his clothes off and stepping into the freezing water. He grit his teeth together and pressed his hands and forehead against the side of the shower, willing his body to accustom itself to the extreme cold, though of course it didn't.

He quickly set about washing his hair and body, feeling the sheen of sweat he woken with wash away, getting out of the shower just as his skin began to turn a light shade of blue, and wiping himself off, pulling on the Rush uniform he had just finished making early that morning (he had gotten only an hour or so of sleep) and shivering as his body soaked in as much heat as it could to compensate for the heat lost in the shower.

He stretched and slipped his mask on, running a hand through his hair and yawning as he exited his room, heading towards the kitchen.

This was the first time he had been up this early since he had become an official Titan, and that was the only possible explanation he could think of for the intense silence of the Tower.

He shivered again as he pulled out a teacup and a teabag, setting them on the counter and turning to start the water. He stopped short and blinked at the teapot, which was already whistling shrilly to indicate its readiness.

"Good morning."

He jumped and twirled around, letting out a relieved sigh when he saw the Sorceress watching him with an amused expression from the table, running a finger around the edge of her cup.

Relaxing, he turned back to his tea, pouring the water into his cup.

"Good morning, Raven." He said.

"You're awfully jumpy." She drawled.

"I was tired and you startled me." He replied with a shrug as he stirred his tea. "Do you enjoy scaring the living daylights out of all your teammates, or am I special?"

"No, I enjoy it immensely no matter who I'm scaring." She smirked as he joined her at the table.

"Hn." He took a sip of his tea and shuddered as the warmth of it heated up his insides.

Her mouth twitched and she mimicked his movements. "You're up fairly early this morning."

He shrugged again, leaning back against his chair as he drank more tea. "I didn't sleep much last night. It was strange…" He frowned as he thought back to how he had woken up that morning—covered in sweat and dried tears.

"Oh?"

He peered at her inquiringly from behind his mask—she was obviously trying very hard to keep her curiosity at bay behind her usual stoic façade. "I just had a weird feeling, that's all." He said finally, setting his cup down. "It was almost like I was feeling someone else's emotions…"

She leaned forward, arching an eyebrow at him. "Someone else's emotions?" She repeated.

"Well…I woke up and felt like I'd just finished crying myself to sleep, only I didn't cry myself to sleep and usually I remember if I've had a dream that would stimulate tears, even if I only vaguely remember the dream's contents. It was just…strange."

"Hmm…" She hummed thoughtfully, drumming her fingers against the table. "You should talk to Cyborg about it and let him run a scan to see if anyone's been meddling with your mind. There are a lot of other telepaths out there, and not all of them are as considerate as I am when it comes to people's privacy. They might have gone into your mind and dredged up some of your memories, then covered their tracks, but of course they couldn't have cleaned _you_ up without physically being here. And that's just _one_ scenario…"

"I don't think that's what it was." He interrupted her. "I've had people probe my mind before, and I was able to detect even the best at covering their tracks. It felt more like what I imagine I'd feel like if I probed someone else's mind…"

"Impossible. You can't do that sort of thing unconsciously." She said, waving the suggestion off with a hand. "Besides, you aren't a telepath. Just let Cyborg check it out—better safe than sorry."

He sighed. "Alright." He said, and they were both quiet for a while.

"What do you want to know?" She asked suddenly, and he started for the second time that day (and it was only six in the morning…). He gave her an inquisitive look and she rolled her eyes. "You want to ask a question. Go ahead and ask it."

"You know who I really am, don't you?"

"Red X?" She asked.

He nodded.

"What about it?"

"Why haven't you told anyone yet? Why d'you trust me?"

"I don't _completely_ trust you." She corrected him. "Like I told the others—I've sensed no ill will towards us from you. If anything the only thing you feel towards us is curiosity and some mild annoyance towards Beast Boy, Starfire, and especially Robin. And Robin himself has told me hundreds of times that everyone deserves a second chance, so I thought I'd try it…willingly, for once. So far you've not made me regret my decision."

He felt strangely honored by her testimony. "Thanks. But I don't think the kid was talking about someone like me when he said that."

"Someone like you?"

He rolled his eyes. "C'mon, don't tell me you haven't caught onto it yet? The kid hates my guts."

She returned the favor. "That's mostly because as Red X you flirted constantly with Starfire, and whether or not she responded positively he still got jealous. Part of that is that he has a difficult time expressing himself towards her."

"The irony of it is that I'm not interested in her romantically at all." He said, putting an elbow on the table and leaning against his fist. "I just did it to get a rise out of him. Considering he was taught by _the_ Batman, he sure is hot tempered."

"Batman has a fairly short temper himself." She said, mouth twitching. "And what do you mean you aren't interested in her? Why not?"

He shrugged. "I'd like a girl with some actual brains. Starfire's smart enough, I guess, taking into account that she's come here from a different planet and learned…basic English and is catching on to our customs, but I'm not patient enough to explain everything to her. Actually, I don't have enough patience for _her_. I prefer someone I can have an entire conversation with, _without_ having to stop every few seconds to explain something like _sarcasm_."

"What if you didn't have to do that with her?" She asked.

He paused thoughtfully. "I might consider it, but probably not. She's too chipper, and no offense but she's too skinny, if you ask me."

She blinked at him. "Too skinny?"

"_Way_ too skinny. I mean, I've got nothing against skinny girls, but she almost looks like she's sick or something. The orange skin doesn't help much on that count. And…" He trailed off.

"And…?" She prompted.

"Well…to tell you the truth, I'm just not really sure how I'd feel about dating a girl who was taller than me." He admitted with a sheepish grin.

She stared at him, then did something he would never in a million years have guessed—she burst out laughing! His jaw dropped as her hands snapped up to cover her mouth, her eyes wide as she had apparently not expected to do such a thing either.

"I-I'm sorry." She sputtered. "I didn't mean to…I've never done that before."

His mouth slowly stretched into a wide grin. "Oh, really?"

She nodded, still looking completely taken aback by her outburst.

"Well, you ought to do it more often." He said decidedly.

She gave him a startled look.

"You're gorgeous when you laugh." He elaborated.

Her eyes widened even more. "W-what?"

"I said you're gorgeous when you laugh." He repeated. "I mean, you're beautiful normally, but when you're laughing you're drop-dead gorgeous. You should do it more often, or at the very least give us a real smile every once in a while."

Her mouth worked soundlessly.

He stood and leaned across the table, putting a hand on her cheek. "Besides, I'll bet the others would love to hear you laugh, too. They've wanted to hear it a lot longer than I have." He said softly. "I'm telling you this for Cyborg especially. You're like his little sister, y'know. He'd be ecstatic to hear you laugh, even just a little."

If anything, her surprise only grew with this revelation.

Unable to help himself (the expression on her face was too cute to resist), he pressed forward and brushed his lips against hers, almost immediately pulling away, gathering his teacup as if nothing had happened and heading back into the kitchen.

"Oh, and by the way…the real reason I'm not interested in Starfire…is that I've got my eyes on someone else." He said, smiling back at her, and left the room with her still gaping after him.

Even though he had just witnessed the reason he had joined the Titans in the first place…he was going to have to stick around for a little while longer…

But it was just to see her laugh like that again…

Right?

(THE RUSH)

_A/N:_ _Neo's name and the name of another character who shows up in…erm…three or so chapters…anyhow, their names have absolutely nothing to do with the movies you'll think of when you see them…I'll go ahead and explain Neo's name now, and the other one later on: Omega, as in the name for all the clones, means 'End'—it's also the last letter of the Greek alphabet—and Neo means 'New'. So his name is 'the New End'. And JIC you were wondering, Max's 'codename' (Omega Prime) means: 'the Beginning of the End'. Yay for cool name meanings! Anyone notice that's sort of been around since the prologue when Rush tells about his name…? I just thought of that…lol, okay, I'll let you go now. See ya next! -PTLX _


	23. The Call

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse_

He had just gotten into the gym when the alarm went off, and he sighed and ran to the living room, where the Sorceress, Cyborg, the Original, and the Kid were already assembled, everyone other than the Sorceress looking like they'd only arrived seconds before him. A moment later the Dolt and Comic Relief entered the room, both looking very groggy (but then, only he and the Sorceress _didn't_ look tired).

"What is it, Raven?" The Kid asked, everyone giving the Sorceress an expectant look.

"We're receiving a call, and I thought everyone should be here to hear it." She replied, and he saw her glance over at him as she typed something and a face appeared onscreen.

"Dawson, my old friend! It's been such a long time since we last saw each other."

His breath caught in his throat and he felt his stomach churn as he heard the all-too-familiar voice and saw the all-too-familiar face of the man who had single-handedly destroyed his life.

"So this is where you're hanging out now, eh, Dawson? Quite a change from when I last saw you eight years ago." The huge, greasy lips twisted into a malicious sneer, cheeks nearly burying his beady eyes beneath folds of skin.

"It's no business of yours where I am." He snapped. "Didn't I tell that brat to tell you to stay away from here? That included phone calls, you stupid freak!"

The Man took a deep drag off his cigar, blowing out smoke as he chortled. "Now, now, Dawson, no need to get so upset. I just called to say hello to an old friend."

"I'm no friend of yours, you disgusting pig!" He growled, hands balling into fists.

"You have such a short temper…" The Man shook his head sadly, taking another drag of his cigar and puffing the smoke out through his nose.

"What do you want, Methuss?" The Original asked, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring up at the Man, spitting the Man's name out like poison.

"I just wanted to see how my boy was doing. Did you know Dawson here was going to be the man all of my clones were made of before you came along, Prime? If he hadn't run off like such a coward eight years ago, you would be a free man."

"Shut it, Methuss. No one cares." The Original bit out.

"And I'm _not_ your boy." He added.

The Man chuckled again. "Very well, very well. What did you think of your clone, Dawson? Quite a piece of work, eh? He's the most powerful of all my clones, even Prime's super clones. It's hard to believe he was one of the first, and still growing, at that. When I think of how powerful a _super_ clone of you will be…" The Man let out a pleased sigh. "I look forward to the day a super clone of you is born."

"Keep looking, 'cause it ain't happening as long as I'm alive." He said. "And the next time I see that second-rate clone, I'll kill it."

"You're hurting my feelings, Dawson. Neo is a magnificent specimen. Unfortunately, he and his…brother were the only clones we were able to make from the blood we salvaged when you knocked my syringe out of my hand."

"There's _another_ one of those things?" He snarled.

The Man just laughed, not answering the question. "So tell me, Dawson, why the sudden change of sides? The last time I saw you, you were a thief…a very talented thief, at that. I've heard of a few of your exploits from some of my contacts. You're very accomplished…they hardly ever got a chance to see you. The pictures they've sent me don't quite do you justice."

"Shut up. That doesn't matter anymore."

"Oh? Have you given up on thieving, Dawson? Joined up with the 'good guys', have you? Come now, you're wasting your talent by doing something so foolish as that."

"I'm pretty sure I've never said _anything_ about giving up thieving, Methuss." He said, ignoring the shocked expressions on the Titans' faces. "Let's just say I'm putting it on hold while I see if the grass really _is_ greener on the other side. I'll worry about my retirement from the world of thieves after I've decided if it is or not."

"I can assure you it isn't."

"Like I'd believe _you_."

"Now Dawson, when have I ever lied to you?"

"I don't trust murderers."

The Man laughed. "Don't tell me you're still sore over that? Come now, Dawson, you hardly knew those two imbeciles. And these idiots," he nodded at the Titans, "can never fully appreciate your talents—not like I can. Come put your talent to good use!"

"Helping _you_ take over the world? Thanks, but I'll take my chances with the Titans."

The Man's sneer returned. "Ah, but are the Titans willing to take their chances on _you_?"

"What're you talking about?" The Kid asked, looking just as furious at the Man as he felt.

The sneer widened. "You mean they don't know? Certainly you've told them by now, Dawson? I know how proud you are of your past exploits. As a matter of fact…quite a few of those exploits have taken place right there in Jump City, have they not?"

"Shut up, Methuss!" He hissed. "Don't you dare tell them—"

"Don't I dare tell them _what_?"

His mouth snapped shut.

"Go on, Dawson, I'm sure they're all _dying_ to know. Or are you afraid they'll turn you out once they know _everything_? You know they have every right to lock you up right now, and guess who has connections that can get you relocated into Bludhaven's prison? I'm sure no one would mind me taking you into custody to help you…_change your ways_."

"I said shut up, Methuss!"

"So, you really _are_ scared, Dawson. Are you getting attached to the dear Titans?"

"Stop talking, Methuss. Your voice is beginning to grate on my nerves." The Sorceress said.

The Man paused for a moment before letting out a barking laugh. "Oho! So that's how it is, eh, Dawson? Are you falling in love, or is that possible for someone like you? I suppose it's more likely she's just a really good—"

"SHUT UP!" He roared, so angry his vision was beginning to blur. "If you ever dare finish that sentence I swear I'll bite your other thumb off and take your hand with it! Insult me all you want but don't you _dare_ bring Raven or any of the others into this! It has nothing to do with them!"

"Just like it had nothing to do with Tandi and Kylan?" The Man asked tauntingly.

"You _despicable_—"

"What do you think she would say if _she_ found out about the real Caleb Dawson? And even if _she_ didn't mind, do you think the others would actually let you anywhere near her? No one trusts a thief, Dawson, especially one like _you_."

His mouth shut tightly, and he could feel the color draining out of his face. "Shut up, Methuss. Just shut your stupid mouth!"

"Have I hit a sore spot? I'll bet I have—you know they'd never accept you if they knew—"

"We are already aware of the fact that Friend Rush was once the Red X!" The Dolt interrupted.

Everyone gaped at her.

"But more than that we are aware that Friend Rush is just that—our friend! No matter who he once was or what he has done in the past, it is the _now_ that matters! And _now_ he is our friend!"

"Starfire's right!" The Comic Relief said. "Here and now is all that matters!"

"And here and now we're telling you to leave Rush and Maxwell alone!" The Kid said. "If we ever see you or any of those clones around here again, you're dead meat!"

And with that, the Kid punched a button on the dial, the screen blacking out.

(THE RUSH)


	24. The Fighting Buffs

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

Immediately, the Kid turned on him.

"You're _Red X_?" The Kid demanded angrily, a bo-staff appearing in his hands.

"So are you." He retorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That's different! I was doing it to _catch_ a bad guy—you were doing it to _be_ a bad guy! Besides, I'm not Red X anymore! I haven't been him in a _long_ time!"

"Well there you have it, idiot. I'm not Red X now, am I?"

"You just told that Methuss guy you aren't sure about it yet!"

"At least that means I'm considering _not_ being a thief anymore! Wouldn't you rather have a chance for me to become a 'good guy' instead of throwing me in jail where you _know_ I'll get out again and come back to haunt you? Come on, kid, gimme some credit!"

"I won't give _credit_ to someone who was once a thief! You're going to get locked up in jail where you belong!"

"You're going to put him where Methuss can get him?" The Original asked.

"Stay out of this, Max." He said, turning back to the Kid. "Look, kid, yeah I was once a thief, and I'm proud of that, 'cause I was—I _am_—the best. So what? I'm not a thief right now, am I?"

"Not right now, but you could turn on us at any minute! Once a thief always a thief!"

"The same could be applied to you—no matter what your intentions, you _were_ a thief." He said, and the Kid's mouth snapped shut immediately. "If you're going to shun people because of stuff that's happened in their past, or stuff that _could_ happen, you're going to be shunning everyone in this room, including yourself. Think about it, kid, and don't try to fool yourself about some people not having a dark side, 'cause that's bull. Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy all fought against their dark sides when Raven's father showed up and released them, and if _Starfire_ has a dark side, everyone does. For God's sake, she tried to kill you when you first met her! All you have to do is royally tick Raven off and you _know_ she's got a dark side, and those super clones of Max are still just that—_clones_. That means he could _easily_ be just like them. And don't get me started on _you_. Even if you don't take your little Red X and Slade's Apprentice episodes into account, no offense but no one who grows up in a place like Gotham can be without a dark side."

"It's still different. They've all…_we've_ all been suppressing our dark sides. You've been letting yours out since you were a kid."

"Yeah, and? What happened to giving people a second chance? Or does that only apply when you want it to?" He asked. "Don't forget, kid, the last time _you_ wanted to give someone a second chance, it was Terra and look how _that_ turned out. And I'll bet if she'd lived, or if you guys find a way to get her loose, you'd be one of the first to welcome her back with open arms. How is my being a thief any different from that? I've _never_ betrayed anyone's trust other than a few white lies much less done something like what _she_ did. I might be a thief but even I have better morals than that, thank you very much."

"How am I supposed to believe you?"

"They don't seem to have a problem with it." He nodded his head at the other Titans. "If you feel you can't trust your _friends_, I have plenty of references from past jobs. They'll tell you what I'm telling you—my methods are questionable, but the result is the same. I do my job and that's it, no questions asked, no secrets told. I have enough dirt locked up in here," he tapped his skull, "to put away at least fifty different well-known and supposedly honest businessmen. Heck, all I'd have to do is turn myself in and tell the police about all the different jobs I've gotten and from who and that'd be the end of most of them. I even have proof. But I _don't_ tell anyone, because I respect people's privacy, and more than that I respect myself. It's a matter of pride to be able to say I've never ratted anyone out when they give me secrets that could get them in trouble. I'm no rat, not for any price. If that's not good enough for you, the _fact_ that I'm not going to betray you and the fact that I'm willing to _try_ not to be a 'bad guy' anymore, then you seriously aren't the guy I thought you were."

"I just…don't know…"

"There isn't a distinct line between black and white, Robin." The Sorceress said. "There's a lot of gray matter in there, and you ought to know that better than anyone. Based on the time we've known Rush, has he ever given you any reason to doubt what he's telling you? It's not like all of us are perfect little heroes and always have been. There are times when we've doubted ourselves _and_ each other. There's no guarantee that one day our doubts won't become realities. All we can do is try our best…and that's what Rush is trying to do."

The Kid frowned. "You knew about this the whole time, didn't you?" His gaze swept over the rest of the Titans. "You _all_ knew!"

"Dude, I totally didn't." The Comic Relief said, waving his hands in front of himself defensively.

The Dolt dug her toe into the ground guiltily, not meeting his gaze. "Friend Robin…I overheard a conversation between Friend Rush and Friend Cyborg. Because Friend Cyborg and, from what I heard, Friend Raven were not opposed to it, I did not feel it was my place to say anything."

The Kid looked at Cyborg and the Sorceress expectantly.

"He means us no ill will, Robin." The Sorceress said. "I didn't see any harm in it, and I figured you would be the first of us to figure out who he was."

"Look, Rob, I've talked to him." Cyborg said. "He's not really such a bad guy…"

"That isn't the point!" The Kid snapped. "I can't believe you guys didn't tell me!"

"I apologize, Friend Robin." The Dolt said, looking ready to cry.

"Don't apologize, Starfire." He said, lips pursing into a thin line. "I'm sick of people getting into trouble for my sake." He tossed his communicator at the Kid. "I'm going home."

"Home?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah." He said, turning. "The streets." He laughed bitterly. "Home sweet home."

"Wait…" The Kid began hesitantly.

"Don't start with that, kid. I don't want your pity, got me? I'm used to getting kicked out on the streets. This is nothing new." He smirked a little. "It's just been a while since it happened."

"So you're going to give up just like that?" The Original asked. "You know as well as I do you won't be able to outrun Methuss now that he knows at least relatively where you are. Don't you get it? This is what he was trying to do! He knew you'd end up running away from us, and then you're an easy target! I know you're a good fighter, Rush, but _you_ know you need help just like I do. Take your own advice and stop running! Don't be such a hypocrite, you coward!"

He'd been heading towards the door, but froze mid-step, turning back around slowly. "I've made a living out of being a coward…and people like me never change, right, kid?" He looked at the Kid, and shrugged. "I guess that's life. And y'know what? Whatever. Being some self-righteous do-gooder can't be worth all this trouble. Being a thief is way easier—and way more of a rush."

"Why do you _want_ to change?" The Kid asked.

"I don't really want to change." His voice dropped. "At least…I didn't. I guess…some people don't deserve a second chance."

The Kid winced. "Look, Rush…you're wrong. I was wrong, too. Everyone deserves a second chance. And…you haven't given me any reason not to give you one yet, so…" The Kid held his communicator out towards him. "How about you give me a second chance, too?"

He took the communicator and shook the Kid's hand, smirking. "Sure—just this once."

The Kid returned his smirk with one of his own. "So…friends?"

He laughed. "Us? Friends? Don't kid yourself, kid. It's like Cyborg said—we just rub each other the wrong way no matter which side we're on. If we're friendly anything, it's friendly rivals."

The Kid's smirk widened. "Right…friendly rivals."

"Alright then." He jerked the Kid forward and brought him into a headlock, rubbing his knuckles roughly against his 'leader's head. "Now then, I _know_ you've heard me lecturing Maxie about making pretty girls cry, oh fearless leader! What the crap, dude? Now I'm gonna have to kick your butt. I mean seriously, kid, didn't Batman ever teach you any manners?"

The other Titans all exchanged a glance as the two boys raced towards the gym, throwing jibes at each other the whole way.

Fighting buffs…

Go figure!

(THE RUSH)


	25. The Squirt

**_Blanket Disclaimer:_**_ Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse _

The insistent knock resounded throughout the Tower, causing all of the Titans to look up from what they had been doing.

He watched the Sorceress stand and go to the door, only to have the living room door open on her as it had done him a week before when Omega Neo had shown up.

Sure enough, it looked as though the Clone had returned.

And yet…the child standing in the doorway seemed completely different from the Clone, if only because he wore a huge smile on his face…and the fact that he looked a year or two younger! He also wore a different outfit—black jeans and a red shirt, both appearing to have seen better days.

The child's smile widened and he crossed his arms behind his head. "Hey, sorry to disturb you but I was wondering if you know where a man named Caleb Dawson is? I heard he was here and want to speak with him, if you don't mind." The child said succinctly.

"We told you not to come back around here, _Neo_." The Sorceress said, putting a hand on her hip.

"Oh!" The child laughed, blushing and wrinkling his nose. "No, I'm not Neo, I promise! Please, may I talk to Caleb Dawson?"

"Whaddya want, kid?" He asked, standing and narrowing his eyes at the child.

The child's smile turned into a full-out grin. "I wanted to talk to you, of course! You really _do_ look like me! I mean, you're older and I'm younger—I'm six, by the way—but I didn't think we'd look alike even though I'm your clone and whatnot. I s'pose I _should_ look like you but I guess I'm just weird or something because I honestly didn't expect us to look alike at all!"

"If you aren't Neo, who are you?"

"OH!" The child flushed. "Sorry, I forgot…I'm Nemo, Neo's little brother—in a manner of speaking—and your other clone! Only I kinda ran away about a year ago to come look for you. You're really hard to find, you know that?"

"I did that on purpose, kid." He said, rolling his eyes.

The child tilted his head to one side, arching one eyebrow upwards. "Why?"

"Methuss."

The child's eyes grew wide with realization. "Oooh…"

"Umm…why did you run away?" The Original asked. "I mean, you're a clone, right? Don't you, like, automatically become evil or something?"

The Squirt giggled. "I'm a glitch. You know how in China there's that Yin Yang thing? Well, when Methuss made Neo, and later me, he didn't know to have his scientists mess with my personality since Neo was 'evil' like he wanted him to be, so Neo is Yin, the darker portion of Caleb Dawson's persona, and I became Yang, the lighter portion." The Squirt explained. "Not perfect, of course, but we lean to either side instead of being a mix. Anyhow, once Methuss figured out what happened, he locked me up in this containment room thingy, trying to force me to become how he wanted with all sorts of potions and stuff, but nothing worked, so he just forgot about me and focused on Neo for a few years until he remembered me and decided it would be easier just to dispose of me." He rolled his eyes. "Well obviously I couldn't just _die_, so I snuck out, stole some cash, and ran away to look for my original and hope he could do _something_ to help me out or vice versa."

"What do you expect _me_ to do?" He asked, blinking at the Squirt.

The Squirt shrugged. "I dunno. I was kinda hoping you'd have some ideas about that." He smiled sheepishly. "To tell you the truth, I didn't really think past finding you."

His mouth twitched, wanting to smile, but his eyes narrowed. "You're lying."

The Squirt blushed. "Okay…so you really _are_ me, if you can catch me lying." He said, obviously embarrassed at having been caught. "Mostly…I mean…well…I was kind of hoping…that you'd, y'know, take me in or something. I don't really know how to say it…"

"You want somewhere to belong." He said. The Squirt gave him a surprised look, and he rolled his eyes. "I'm you, remember? And the answer is no. I'm not having anything to do with Methuss' clones unless I'm destroying them."

"But…but I've been looking for you for a whole_ year_! You have to do _something_!"

"No, I don't! I've been running from Methuss and anything that has to do with him for _eight_ years, kid. I have no obligations to you _or_ your…brother, or whatever he is. If you want someone who's obligated, go back to Methuss!"

"But he'll _kill_ me!" The Squirt protested.

"That's not my problem, kid! You shouldn't be here anyways!"

"But I _am_ here! And if Methuss is your problem, so am I!"

"_No_, you aren't! Get out of here!"

The Squirt's brows knitted together into a deep frown. "How can you just write me off like this? Don't you have any heart at all? I'm _you_! Surely you must feel _something_!"

"Yeah—contempt. Now leave and don't come back!" He said, turning away from the Squirt.

The Squirt's bottom lip trembled, but he glared defiantly up at him, tiny fists balled up at his sides. "You…you big _jerk_!" The Squirt yelled angrily. "You're no better than Methuss and Tandi would be ashamed of you if she saw what you became!"

He stiffened, slowly turning back to face him. "_What_ did you say?"

"You heard me! I said Tandi would be ashamed of you, and you know I'm right! Methuss told me about what happened, trying to get me to see that getting close to people is bad, but I can't—I _won't_ believe that! It's just some people like you and him I shouldn't get close to! I know you admired Tandi, and she took _you_ in and defended you without even knowing you! And yet you can't put forth _any_ effort at all to help _me_ when I've spent so long looking for you, and for all intents and purposes I _am_ you! At least _part_ of you! I…I'm starting to think Methuss was right and it _was_ your fault she's dead, you stupid jerk! You're selfish and mean and I'll just bet it took a long time to suppress my half of your personality so you could be just like Neo!"

"Shut _up_, you little brat! You have no idea what you're talking about, and if you dare talk about Tandi again I'll _kill_ you!" He snapped, infuriated by the young boy's words.

"Of course I know what I'm talking about! I'm _you_, aren't I? Even if I'm just _part_ of you!" The Squirt retorted, just as angry as he was. "You're disgusting! All you can think about is _yourself_! _You're_ being chased by some evil mastermind, _you_ had to watch the only people to ever show an ounce of concern for you get murdered, _you_ have to make sure not to get close to anyone because _you_ are too scared to fight for what you believe in or for those you care about, _you_ can't ever do anything for anyone outside _your_ petty existence unless it's somehow for _your_ benefit! I _hate_ people like you, so I guess that means _we_ are just hypocrites! Go ahead and kill me! I don't _want_ to be you anymore!" At this point, the Squirt completely broke down, sobbing but stubbornly keeping his eyes up. "I can't believe I ever looked up to someone like _you_!"

"So leave. Find something better to do than chase after a jerk like me." His voice had dropped into an almost-whisper, eyes not meeting the Squirt's but staying focused on the floor. "Find someone worthwhile to look up to. I'm no role model. If you stay here…you'll just get hurt."

"What, so you're trying to run me off so I won't get hurt? You'd rather let me run loose on the streets all by myself than keep me here? Are you really that stupid?"

"I grew up on the streets, and I—"

"Are you going to say you turned out fine? Because if that's it just shut up and save the crap for someone who'll believe it. Look in the mirror sometime and see what growing up on the streets made you, _Red X_. God, you really _are _disgusting if you're trying to justify throwing me out on the streets by saying I'm just some sort of clone, and, even if you _do_ care the tiniest bit about my well-being, by saying I'll be _just fine_ if I grow up on the streets."

He sighed softly. "You're right, kid…more than you know." He said. "I _am_ disgusting and self-centered and all that. But…tell you what, squirt: if you really want to stay that badly—and the Titans are fine with it—I won't stop you. Do what you want, but I ain't babysitting, got it? I'll treat _you_ like I do _them_," he jerked a thumb at the Titans. "And being a hero ain't gonna be some walk in the park for you—it sure as heck hasn't been for me so far."

The Squirt grinned, mouth stretching from ear to ear. "Really? You mean it?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Whatever."

The Squirt's grin, if it was possible, widened, and he suddenly found a pair of tiny arms wrapped tightly around his middle. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you! This is _sooo_ great! So what do I call you? Caleb? Ooh, can I call you big brother? You practically are! _Please_?"

The other Titans were grinning at what he assumed was the shocked, bewildered, and somewhat uncomfortable expression he knew was on his face. "Erm…?"

"You can call me Nemo! Or little brother, if you want!" The Squirt continued enthusiastically.

"Umm…well…look, squirt, I—"

"Squirt's okay too, I guess." The Squirt said, smiling up at him with a look of total admiration bordering on hero worship on his face.

He flushed, unused to such attentions.

"Friend Rush," The Dolt tittered, "Your…younger brother is quite adorable!"

"Thanks, lady!" The Squirt chirped, and looked up at him, voice dropping to a stage whisper. "Who's the lady and why's she _orange_?

He frowned, cuffing the boy upside the head. "Listen up, squirt, I realize you've been on your own for a year, but mind your manners when you're talking to your elders, _especially_ ladies. I grew up on the streets, too, and even I know common courtesy." He scolded. Bad manners were a strange but strong pet peeve of his…he had no idea where or when he'd picked it up.

"Oh." The Squirt blinked. "Okay." The Squirt released him (he had still been _literally_ attached to his hip) and bowed to the Dolt. "I'm very sorry for being rude, ma'am. My full name is Omega Nemo, but please call me Nemo. May I ask your name?"

The Dolt giggled. "My name is Koriand'r, which in English is Starfire. It is a pleasure to meet you, Younger Brother of Friend Rush!"

"He's _not_ my little brother." He grumbled rather halfheartedly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Miss Starfire!" The Squirt said with another bow.

The Kid chose this time to step forward. "My name's Robin. The others are Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, and—"

"Omega Prime. I know him." The Squirt interrupted knowingly.

He cleared his throat, giving the Squirt a look that caused him to cringe.

"Sorry for interrupting." The Squirt muttered, glancing at him from the corner of his cerulean blue eyes and grinning a little at his nod of approval.

"That's alright." The Kid said with a smile, ruffling the Squirt's hair. "And I'm sure we're all okay with you hanging out around here, right guys?" The Kid looked around at the others, who all nodded in agreement, before looking back at the Squirt. "Welcome to Titans Tower, Nemo."

The Squirt smiled. "Thank you very much, Mister Robin!" He said, then faltered, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Umm…do you guys mind if I go to sleep? I'm _really_ sleepy…"

"Not at all." The Kid said. "You can sleep in Beast Boy's room until we fix one up for you…"

"No!" He said immediately, nearly yelling, and earning himself surprised looks from everyone that made him blush. But seriously, he wouldn't wish the Comic Relief's room on Methuss! "I mean…he can just…stay in my room for now."

He saw the Sorceress's mouth twitch. "I'll show him to your room. I was about to go meditate anyhow." She said, a decidedly amused sparkle in her eyes.

The Squirt looked up at him again, and he nodded, though he narrowed his eyes at the Sorceress a bit. The Squirt's smile widened and he threw his arms around him again.

"G'night big brother!" The miniature of himself said lethargically, trudging to the Sorceress's side and sleepily holding his arms up, silently asking to be held.

The Sorceress arched an eyebrow at both him and the Squirt, but obligingly picked the latter up and left the room with the small boy yawning and leaning his head against her shoulder.

He groaned and sat down. "I'm getting a headache."

"Dude, is he _seriously_ your clone?" The Comic Relief asked skeptically. "I mean, dude, that's really kinda weird."

He gave the Comic Relief a dry look. "First off, he's _six_, and hasn't had the same upbringing as I had. Secondly, he's supposed to be the 'good half' of my personality. Third, just because I choose to act like this rather than like that doesn't mean I couldn't if I wanted to. All of us have some part of ourselves we would rather no one know about. He just happens to be mine."

"I believe he is very cute, Friend Rush!" The Dolt said.

"Star's right, Red. He's cute." Cyborg snickered. "Why would you want to hide that cuteness?"

He didn't deign the question with a response, just leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. "This is all getting way too weird." He sighed.

(THE RUSH)


	26. The Intervention

_**Blanket Disclaimer:** Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse_

"Lookit what I can do, Miss Ren!"

He rolled his eyes as the Squirt did a cartwheel, landing neatly on his feet, grinning widely up at the Sorceress, who looked amused.

"That's nice, Nemo." She replied obligingly, ruffling the young clone's hair.

The Squirt's grin widened.

"That's nothing, squirt." He spoke up. "C'mon, don't tell me you've been on your own for a year and that's all you can do?"

The grin disappeared, immediately replaced by a scowl. "No, it isn't!" The Squirt said, and took a running start, then did a flip, twisting in mid-air and doing five consecutive back flips. "See?"

He shrugged. "Still not hitting on much." He said, crossing his arms over his chest.

The Squirt stuck his tongue out at him. "Meanie." He grumbled.

He rolled his eyes again. "You're six, right?"

The Squirt nodded, giving him a suspicious look. "And a half. Why?"

"Well, I've been wondering what six years of a trained clone fights like." He arched an eyebrow at the Squirt expectantly.

The Squirt's grin returned full force. "Fights like a dream, big bro." The little boy winked at him impishly. "Or a nightmare, depending on who you ask."

He shrugged. "Ah, I dunno, squirt…but I guess you are _my_ clone, so you might have a couple good moves." He said, smirking.

The grin widened. "I'm just as modest as you, too." The Squirt said, putting petite hands on his hips. "So if you don't mind fighting a kid, I don't mind kicking your butt and showing you why Methuss wanted to make me evil."

He chuckled. "Hey, you _are_ as modest as me!" He said, tweaking the Squirt's ear.

"Dudes, I wanna know what dictionary you guys are readin' from if you think _that's_ modest." The Comic Relief said, looking from him to his clone and back again.

The Squirt giggled. "_Any_ dictionary, silly! You can't get much more modest than us!" The boy said, looking up at him. "Right, big bro?"

"Right, squirt." He agreed. "Now then, to the gym, and we'll see who's kicking whose butt!"

The Sorceress smirked. "I'll referee. I'm _not_ going to miss seeing you get beat up by a six and a half year old." She said.

The Squirt let out a shrill laugh while he frowned at her. "Oi!"

"Hey, don't blame her! It's not her fault she knows a winner when she sees one!" The Squirt said, trying (not very hard) and failing to restrain his laughter.

"Are you calling me a loser, squirt?" He asked.

The Squirt's grin (if it was at all possible at this point) widened even more. "Maybe, maybe not."

"I can definitely tell he's your clone, Red." Cyborg snickered.

"What was your first clue, metal man?" He asked, sneering. "The shocking good looks, or the witty repartee?"

"Back to what you guys said earlier—it's the whole shared-modesty thing." Cyborg said.

"Dudes! Confused, here!" The Comic Relief shouted, throwing his arms in the air exasperatedly.

"So what else is new?" He asked, and looked down at the Squirt, who had echoed his words.

The Squirt slapped his hands over his mouth, eyes wide and filled with confusion as he looked up at him. "I d-didn't mean to say that." The boy sputtered, sounding slightly frightened.

"Don't worry about it." He said with a shrug.

"B-but it just came out! I've n-never said anything without m-meaning to anymore!" The Squirt said, looking on the verge of a complete breakdown as his eyes filled with tears.

He patted the Squirt's shoulder awkwardly. "Hey, calm down. It's no big deal."

"But I…I…I…" The Squirt burst into tears.

"Whoa, squirt, don't start with the waterworks! Seriously, it isn't anything to cry over!" He said.

Before anything else could be said, the window was shattered, making them all cover themselves with their arms as glass sprinkled over them.

"Well, _this_ comes as no surprise." Sneered one of the Original's clones. "Nemo is crying again."

The Squirt wiped his eyes quickly, glaring at the four super clones and the Boy. "Shut up!"

"And what'll you do if I don't, wuss?" The clone asked, smirking.

"Quiet, Three. We didn't come here for him." The Boy said.

The clone scowled and opened his mouth to say something else.

"I said quiet, Three, and I meant right now, not when you feel like it." The Boy said, giving the clone a significant look. "You don't _really _want to try my patience, do you?"

The clone shut his mouth and said nothing.

"That's what I thought." The Boy looked at them. "We tried this the easy way, Dawson. I'll give you and Maxwell one more chance to surrender before we use force."

"They aren't going to surrender and I'd like to see you try to force anyone to do anything, _Neo_." The Squirt said, crouching into a fighting stance.

The Boy rolled his eyes. "Very cute, Nemo. Four, get rid of him, please."

"My pleasure." The aforementioned clone grinned maliciously, and seemed to disappear for a moment, reappearing in front of the Squirt and picking him up with ease, throwing him towards the broken window. "Bye-bye, brat."

The Squirt twisted in the air, landing just at the edge of the window. "Are you kidding me?" He asked, hand on his hip. "What am I, a civilian?"

"Nah—chopped liver!" Four replied, disappearing again.

"Don't try pulling the same trick twice, Four, it didn't work the first time and it's not working now, either." The Squirt said as he leapt up and over Four's head as the clone appeared in front of him again and kicked him, sending him out of the window.

"Why you little—"

"Shut it, Three." The Boy said. "I see you've been practicing, Nemo."

"I was on the streets, not vacationing, dummy." The Squirt replied.

The Boy smirked and looked at the clones. "You three gather Four and go back to the apartment. I'll take care of Nemo, and we'll come back for Dawson and Prime later."

Three started to say something, but one of the other two clones cut him off. "Alright."

The Boy nodded and turned back to them with a decidedly disconcerting smile as the super clones disappeared.

"Why don't you just leave, Neo?" The Squirt asked.

The Boy glanced over his shoulder, as if to make sure the clones were gone, then looked back at them, smile gone. "Nemo, I want you to run." He said.

(THE RUSH)


	27. The Failsafe

_**Blanket Disclaimer:** Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse_

"What do you mean, run? I'm not a coward no matter what you—"

"That's not what I meant, stupid!" The Boy snapped. "You and Dawson and Prime have to get out of here. I dunno how much longer I can keep Prime's clones from seriously coming after you guys, and I think Methuss is starting to get suspicious."

"What are you talking about?" The Original asked.

"Something funny is going on." The Boy replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked suspiciously.

"It means what it sounds like, Dawson." The Boy said. "Something weird is happening." He looked back at the broken window again. "You guys have to leave, trust me."

"Trust you? Dude, are you kidding me?" The Comic Relief asked.

"Do I _look_ like I'm kidding, green boy?" The Boy demanded. "The last time I came here…after I went home, the clones were acting strange, so I gave them this serum Methuss told me to stick them with if they got…rebellious. And the next day…they were back to normal. They didn't remember _anything_…they didn't even remember Dawson showing up. I had to debrief them."

"What does that have to do with us running?" He asked.

"It means Methuss has come up with some sort of serum that makes people _forget stuff_." They stared at the Boy blankly and he rolled his eyes. "Don't you get it? It's a _brainwashing serum_. If the clones…" The Boy shook his head. "If _we_ catch you guys and take you back to Methuss, he's going to use it on _you_. And whenever you start…remembering stuff and rebelling, he'll give you more of it. You'll be _puppets_, understand _now_? You have to get out of here!"

"What do you care?" The Sorceress asked.

The Boy shrugged. "It's not in my blood to follow orders. I guess it was inevitable I'd rebel at some point. Methuss knew it, too…I was supposed to give myself that stuff, but for whatever reason I couldn't. I…I think I'm starting to lose it. Maybe I'm unstable, I don't know. Just…just run, okay? Promise me you'll run, Nemo." There was a strange note of desperation in his voice.

"I'm not gonna run, Neo." The Squirt said.

The Boy exploded. "Are you stupid? This is no time for your self-righteous bravado, Nemo! If you don't leave he's gonna make you…he's gonna make you do stuff. Stuff like _I_ do…stuff you aren't supposed to be doing, Nemo. You're not…you're not the kind of kid to do this sort of stuff, okay? Please, just get out of here. Just run. Nobody's gonna be mad at you if you'll just…"

"I said I'm not going to run, Neo."

"Nemo…"

"No! It's not right! Running doesn't help, Neo. He'll catch up to us eventually."

"But at least you'll be safe for a little while longer. Maybe long enough for someone to stop him. You don't even have _that_ chance if you stay here! He'll make you forget _everything_! Even _me_! Why won't you understand?"

"I could ask you the same thing! And what's more, why do you even care?"

"I _don't_!" The Boy yelled hoarsely, squeezing his eyes shut and covering his ears with his hands. "I don't, okay? I'm not allowed to care! I only have one purpose in life—to follow orders! I was born, I was trained, and now I'll fight, and when I've outlived my usefulness I'll die! If you stay here I'll have to take you in, and once Dawson and Maxwell are back with Methuss _everyone_ will have outlived their usefulness, maybe even you! I don't want to die, Nemo, not yet! And I don't want you to die, either!" He shook his head suddenly, letting out a pained cry. "It doesn't matter what I want! I'll die! _I'll die_!"

"What's wrong with you, Neo?" The Squirt asked, sounding a little concerned and more than a little frightened by the Boy's actions.

The Boy shook his head, shuddering, and coughed as blood dribbled from his mouth, abruptly calm once again. "God, that hurts…I didn't figure on it progressing so quickly…today must be a bad day, then…" The Boy grimaced and ground his teeth together. "I don't want to die, I know I'm supposed to but I don't want—" The Boy gasped and clenched his eyes shut. "It doesn't matter, it doesn't. I'm not supposed to want anything, I _don't_ want anything—if I keep telling myself that will it be true? I can hardly think through this pain, I won't be able to convince you to leave if I don't pull myself together, Nemo, and you _have_ to leave or he'll hurt you, too, and I won't be around to save you next time, not like I was back then and like I am now."

"N-Neo…what…?"

"He's going to kill me—but then, if I stay here for much longer I'll die anyhow…how can I be so _calm_? I don't want to die…I was made to be like this, I guess…you were, too, but they trusted _me_ with your development and I made _sure_ they couldn't make you stay, I made sure they wouldn't be able to hurt you for long, not like they hurt me, and I made sure to plant ideas in your head that would make you run away. I destroyed _all_ of it, I did, and I'm proud of it, too, and once they figure out I really did do all of it they'll wish they hadn't killed me so they could make me tell them how to fix you, but I'll never, ever tell, even if they do keep me alive!" The Boy shook his head vigorously, letting out a bark of laughter that turned into a hacking cough and groaning in pain once the coughing had passed.

"This kid is _really_ starting to freak me out, dudes…" The Comic Relief said.

The Boy didn't seem to have heard. "They didn't know I was smart enough to do it, but once I saw them tinkering it was easy to figure out what I needed to do…"

"Neo, you're starting to scare me." The Squirt said. "Please explain what you mean? And why are you in so much pain?"

The Boy smirked, the expression flickering as he was bombarded with more and more pain. "It's the failsafe, Nemo. We can think as many rebellious thoughts as we want, but if we act on them the failsafe kicks in, and if we haven't stopped after an hour we're supposed to die instantly. Mine is defective, so instead of just killing me instantly after an hour, it hurts and keeps hurting until I pass out from the pain, and then—and _only_ then—will I die. Yours…yours is nonexistent. I destroyed it before you were much more than a fetus in a test tube. God, I might be as evil as Methuss wanted me to be! I ruined _everything_—all of his plans!"

"Neo…" The Sorceress began.

"What do I mean? I sabotaged Nemo's creation. I'm shallow and I'm selfish and they should've _known_ better than to trust _me_. They shouldn't have let me hear them talking about him replacing me—in fact, they shouldn't have let me near him at all, whether I heard or not. They told him we're Dawson's personality split in half, and maybe they actually believe that's what really happened, but the truth is I _deleted_ the dark portion of Dawson's personality from his DNA, and then I destroyed his failsafe feature, and then once he had been born I kept making subtle suggestions to him to run away and go find Dawson. I _made_ _sure_ he got out, and I _made sure_ he hated Methuss and the rest of us clones with all of his being! I'm the clone of a thief, after all…and I _stole_ Methuss' chance at the _perfect clone_. He would've been the perfect clone—I heard them talking about it. With the progress they would've made with him, Prime's super clones wouldn't be as ineffective as they are now. Too bad, too bad…"

"Shouldn't the failsafe have kicked in?" The Kid asked.

The Boy giggled. "That's the best part—the failsafe, even when it was working properly, didn't pick up on it. If I rebel to help myself in a way that won't hurt Methuss—like going against an order in a way that'll make the job turn out better—it let's me do so without protest. I'm a very arrogant clone, almost as bad as Three, and I thought I was the best _ever_…which I am, since I sabotaged Nemo…so in my mind I wasn't hurting Methuss, so the failsafe never kicked in! It was so simple it's a wonder no one caught me, but I guess the best plans are the simplest ones. I was helping myself, and not helping myself at the same time!"

"What do you mean by _that_?" He asked, confused.

"I'm helping myself right now, only this time I'm suffering from no delusions that it won't hurt Methuss. I _want_ him to hurt! But the thing is, I'm not helping _me_, I'm helping _Nemo_, but I'm still helping myself. Do you understand?"

"No." The Sorceress drawled.

"Nemo and I are clones of the same person. Does _that_ clear everything up?"

"Dude, no." The Comic Relief said.

"Our DNA is exactly the same, except for his not having the evil bits. If this wasn't going to hurt Methuss as badly as it is, the failsafe wouldn't kick in because by helping Nemo, even if it's got nothing to do with me personally, I'm helping myself. He's _me_, I'm _him_, we're both Dawson, do you get it now? I don't have any more time to explain!"

"We get it…sort of." The Kid said.

"Good." The Boy dry heaved, shaking his head as if to clear it as he held his stomach. "Look, Nemo, just run, okay? Get out of here before he catches you, 'cause if he doesn't kill you he'll make sure the failsafe is integrated into your system."

"I already told you I won't run! It's cool that you did all that stuff for me…I think…but running won't do any good. At least here I can fight."

"You'll lose." The Boy said, but didn't push anymore, shaking his head again. "Whatever. If you won't run, just go to Gotham City and find a man named Lucius Foxx at Wayne Corp. Tell him you know a friend of Timothy Drake's named Owen Williams. He'll know who you are and hopefully he'll have an idea of what to do. If not…pray."

"How do you know Lucius Foxx and Tim Drake?" The Kid demanded.

"Let's just say there are days when my failsafe doesn't work at all, and I don't really like playing Methuss' pet monkey." The Boy laughed again, the laugh sounding more like a cough as he was apparently having a difficult time breathing. The Boy turned away, walking towards the window, but paused at the edge, looking at them over his shoulder. "If I'm not killed, don't count on me…helping myself…next time we meet, Nemo. If I do survive…I won't be _me_ anymore. I'll be another puppet. I would apologize, but…" The Boy smirked. "That's not my style."

"Neo…" The Squirt bit his lip. "Hey…no matter what happens…you're my brother, right?"

The Boy winked at him. "Sure." The Boy said. "Later, little brother."

And with that, the Boy stepped over the edge and disappeared.

(THE RUSH)

_A/N: …I did warn you it was going to get weird…for anyone who didn't quite understand what just happened, here's the gist of it:_

_The serum Neo used in chapter 21 was a brainwashing agent that made the super clones forget about rebelling against Methuss. What was making Neo so weird was a failsafe that's integrated into all the clones' DNA, so if they rebel against Methuss—anything beyond thinking about it, that is—they instantly die, or in Neo's case more and more pain builds up until he passes out and THEN dies. Nemo doesn't have a failsafe because Neo heard some scientists talking about Nemo being better at him, so he got jealous and sabotaged the experiment by deleting all of the evil DNA (and the failsafe) out of Nemo, then manipulating Nemo into running away and looking for Rush before it could be fixed. The failsafe doesn't pick up on clones helping themselves (like Neo was doing to Nemo) as long as it doesn't hurt Methuss (Neo didn't think he was, since he's as "humble" as Rush), which is why it didn't kick in then, and it wouldn't kick in now if Neo still at least thought Methuss wouldn't get hurt by him helping Nemo and Rush, even though technically he isn't helping himself. Since he, Nemo, and Rush are basically the same person thanks to their blood, the failsafe treats them like a single entity._

_I think that's everything…just tell me in your review if anything else confused you…_


	28. The Punishment

_**Blanket Disclaimer:** Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse_

_**Neo's POV again!**_

He stayed under the broken window instead of leaving immediately, wanting a few more minutes before he had to go back to the apartment and face the super clones and Methuss, whom he was sure would be at the apartment when he got there.

"That was…really strange." He heard Prime say as he peeked carefully up over the edge.

"Just goes to show you: even Red's evil side ain't all that bad." The half-robot man smirked.

He saw Nemo bite his lip, reaching up to Dawson as if seeking comfort. "Do you think he'll be okay, big brother?" Nemo asked softly.

He frowned, balling his hands into fists at the sound of _his_ little brother calling someone other than him 'big brother'. He shook his head as pain shot through it for a moment, calming himself so the failsafe would settle down again.

"Sure he will, squirt." Dawson said, picking Nemo up and looking decidedly uncomfortable as the younger boy put his head on his shoulder but not saying anything to deter the action. "He's _my_ clone, right? We're a strong stock."

He rolled his eyes. Well, at least now he knew his pride wasn't something Methuss had thrown into his DNA like he was almost completely positive it was with Prime's super clones (especially Three).

Cloak Woman rolled her eyes just like he had and patted Nemo's arm softly. "I'm sure he'll be just fine, Nemo." She assured him. "He didn't seem like someone who needs any help taking care of himself, Rush's clone or not."

Dawson frowned at her but held his silence, blushing a little when she smirked at him.

He tilted his head to one side. Did Dawson _like_ this girl like Methuss said he did? How weird…

"Max, what do you know about that kid?" Traffic Light asked.

Prime shrugged. "Not much more than you guys do. I've never actually fought him, but I've seen him around sometimes with those super clones or whatever…"

"Neo's a spoiled brat." Nemo said softly, not moving at all other than to speak.

He scowled.

"He's Methuss'…pet, I guess. His favorite clone. He had all the best teachers and gets sent on all the best jobs. If he's not on a job, he's with Methuss. I always hated him because…well, I wanted what he had. I was so jealous…it seemed like such a great life…but then one day I saw firsthand what's done to him when he's with Methuss." Nemo turned his head to bury it in Dawson's shoulder. "It was the day I ran away…Neo had just gotten back from a job and was sent to Methuss to tell him it was a success. I followed because…I wanted to see him one last time before I left. He was my rival…so I wanted to hear about the mission and see what I had to live up to…what they said I was supposed to be, y'know?"

"What did you see?" Annoying Woman asked softly.

"I saw…things I don't ever want to see again. I couldn't believe Methuss would do such things to his little pet…especially when he'd gone on a successful mission. I think, maybe, he wants Neo to fail, and Neo thinks he's done something wrong so he tries harder and does better, and that makes Methuss even angrier. I can only imagine what Methuss will do now that he has an _excuse_ to do things like that."

"Things like what, Nemo?" Cloak Woman asked.

Nemo's shoulders shook. "I-it was so horrible, Miss Ren…" He could tell his little brother was crying, though he couldn't see his face. "It all happened so fast…one minute Methuss' guards were watching him congratulate Neo…and then they left and Methuss was suddenly beating him and telling him he was worthless…a second-rate copy that couldn't do anything right…it was so horrible…there was so much blood…" Nemo shuddered again. "That's when I realized…Neo doesn't lead such a glamorous life. It definitely isn't a life I would want for myself…and even though part of me still hates him, most of me can't feel anything but pity for him. I wanted to find you, big brother…because I thought you could save me from becoming like that. And maybe…just maybe…you can save him, too…"

He lowered himself from the ledge and pushed himself against the glass, his feet and hands sticking to it so he didn't fall as tears streamed down his face. '_I didn't know he was ever jealous of me…I knew he hated me, but I didn't think it was because he was jealous…I didn't think anyone could be jealous of me…_'

He wiped his eyes furiously. It didn't matter either way…he was going to die in a few minutes.

He smiled sardonically as he let himself fall to the ground with a neat landing, running towards Jump City so quickly he didn't sink in the water.

He was just glad his death would be quick. Despite, and perhaps because of, the fact that he'd been through so much pain his whole life, he had a horrible phobia of pain. He didn't want to die, either, but if he had to at least it would be quick…no pain.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening the door of the apartment and entering it, finding himself almost immediately set upon by the four super clones.

"Well, well, well, look who's finally decided to join us?" Three cackled. "Guess what, Neo? There's someone here to see you!"

"It took you long enough, Omega Neo."

He had to fight hard to keep from shaking at the sound of Methuss' voice, clenching his fists at his sides as he bowed his head. "I apologize if I kept you waiting, sir."

"Yes…what took you?"

"I have no excuses, sir."

"Very well. Clones, leave."

The clones snickered as they did as told, ignoring the pleading looks he shot their way—Methuss would never strike him in front of anyone else.

He flinched as the door shut.

"I'm disappointed in you, Omega Neo." Methuss sneered as he pulled a thin dagger out of his pocket and wiped it off with a handkerchief. "After all I've done for you, you can't even bring back those riffraff originals for me? You can't do anything right, can you?"

"No sir." He said softly.

"Well…you know I'm going to have to punish you now."

"Y-yessir."

Methuss seemed to abruptly change the subject. "So, Omega Neo, what do you think of this dagger?" The oily man asked, smirking. "It's very nice, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yessir."

"But it's no ordinary dagger, you see. Instead of actually killing the person it stabs, it infects them with this new technology I bought from a man who called himself Slade. He called them 'nanobots'. And with a push of the button on this dagger's hilt, they slowly and painfully spread throughout their victim until he or she dies. Once the button's pressed I can't do anything, but I'm told it's a very, _very_ excruciatingly painful process…and it takes three full days to kill you…unless the antidote is given. But I only have enough for one person…and I have enough nanobots to kill quite a few people. I think I'll use them to get rid of my business opponents, like that Bruce Wayne. But first, you see, I need a test subject." The smirk widened and he gasped as the dagger was thrust into his abdomen. "That would be _you_, of course."

He looked down at the dagger. Surprisingly, he felt no pain even as Methuss withdrew it.

But then the button was pressed.

His mouth opened, but his throat had closed tightly due to the pain, allowing only a small squeak of pain to pass through his lips as he fell to his knees, arms curled around his stomach as blood leaked from his lips to the floor.

'_So much for a quick death…_'

He was only vaguely aware through the haze of pain of Methuss leaving the room, laughing maliciously as he went.

He choked on a sob as pain coursed through his body like blood.

"I don't want to die…Nemo…I don't want to die…"

Several miles away in a tower shaped like a T, a thief-turned-hero fell into a similar position on the floor and burst into tears.

(THE RUSH)

_A/N:__ Cloak Woman/Miss Ren is Raven, Traffic Light is Robin (b/c I'm sure none of you guessed that, right?), and Annoying Woman is…never mind, if you can't guess who that is you're just stupid._


	29. The Plea

_**Blanket Disclaimer:** Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse_

Raven's POV 

"Big brother, what's the matter? Big brother?" Nemo asked concernedly as Rush fell to the ground in pain. "Miss Ren, what's wrong with him?"

"I don't know, Nemo…" She said, crouching beside Rush and putting a hand on his shoulder, shaking him softly. "Rush? Rush, are you alright?"

"I don't want to die…Nemo…I don't want to die…" Rush whimpered, coughing and vomiting blood. "Please…please somebody help me…"

"Rush, dude, what're you talking about?" Beast Boy asked.

She held up a hand. "I don't think this is Rush, you guys. I think…somehow…this is Neo!"

As if he heard her, Rush began crying harder.

"Neo? Brother? How are you doing this ?Why?" Nemo asked.

"Please help me, little brother. It hurts so much! If it was quick I wouldn't mind dying, but not like this! I can't take the pain, Nemo, I can't! Not anymore! Please, please make it stop hurting! I don't want to hurt anymore!" Rush sobbed.

"Neo…"

"He said I'm gonna die in three days, Nemo. I can't hurt like this for that long! _God_, it hurts!"

"Who said you're gonna die? _What_ hurts?"

"Who else? He stabbed me, he fucking stabbed me!" Rush straightened a little and took his hands away from his stomach. "But it's not bleeding. I'm not bleeding at all, except I keep throwing up blood. I don't know if I bit myself or—agh!" He crumpled again, head making an audible crack against the floor as he held himself like he thought he was his own lifeline.

"Neo, I don't understand. If the knife didn't make you bleed or anything why are you hurting so bad?" Nemo asked, wrapping his tiny arms around Rush's head and cradling it to his chest.

"Nanobots. He said they're called nanobots. I don't know what they do but it hurts. He bought them…from a man…umm…Slade, I think? I don't know." He collapsed into tears again, snaking his arms around Nemo. "I don't know anything anymore. Maybe I never did. God, Nemo, it hurts so much." He gritted his teeth together, hands clutching the material of Nemo's shirt as a wounded sound seemed to be torn from his throat. "Make it stop, Nemo. Just kill me…just _kill_ me…why couldn't he just kill me? I'd deserve this from anyone else but not from him…"

She placed a glowing hand on his back, sending her healing powers through the link between Rush and Neo. Rush…or rather, Neo, took in a surprised and ragged breath, relaxing slightly.

"W-what was that?"

"That was Miss Ren. She heals people." Nemo said.

"She shouldn't waste it on me…but thank her for me anyways…"

"You're welcome." She replied, keeping her hand on his back.

He didn't seem to have heard her. "I'm gonna run, Nemo. I don't know if the failsafe will kick in again but I don't think it will…"

"Where will you go?"

"Lucius Foxx. Hopefully he'll be able to get rid of these things, and maybe the failsafe, too. I don't know…Methuss said he's got the antidote, but only enough for one person. He won't use it on me. He's gonna go after his business rivals, so maybe one of them, if they pay him enough and agree to whatever terms he gives. I'll warn Mr. Foxx and he can warn Bruce Wayne."

"And what'll you do if Foxx cures you?"

Rush (Neo) was quiet for a moment. "I don't really think I'll get that far. If I do…then I'll worry about what happens next. Maybe I'll go after Methuss. I dunno…" He shifted a little. "Nemo?"

"What?"

"D'you think Dawson would kill me if I went back there?"

"Maybe if you keep calling him Dawson."

He smiled softly. "Heh…maybe. You stay with him, Nemo. He's not a bad guy, and I'm not just saying that because we're his clones. Y'know Methuss used to keep tabs on him? He lost him a year or two ago, about the same time you ran away. But before that…whenever he'd steal, he donated a lot of it to orphanages." His smile widened. "Okay, I'm lying. He opened his own when he was…thirteen and donated money to it. You'll never guess who his first charge was."

"Who?"

"Tandi's kid. She's about a year older than me…I think her name's Jaelyn. Dawson's got a soft spot for kids, I think. And for that woman…"

"What woman?"

He shrugged. "I don't know who she is. He sure lost his temper when Methuss tried to bad talk her. I thought it was funny. And he blushes, too…I saw him…" His hold suddenly tightened again and he moaned. "It's starting to hurt again…" He jerked violently. "I gotta go…someone's coming…probably one of Prime's super clones…I'll see you around, little brother…maybe…" He sighed and went limp.

"Dudes…that…was _really_ weird…" Beast Boy said.

"It is most horrible what Enemy Methuss is doing." Starfire said, ignoring Beast Boy's comment.

"Who would do that to a kid?" Cyborg asked. "Even a clone…that's just _sick_."

"And it's all because of Slade." Robin growled, fisting his hands.

"Slade isn't the big problem, here." She said. "We have to stop Methuss from infecting all of his rivals with those nanobots, and we have to do it fast. We'll start with Bruce Wayne. Cyborg, since you got rid of the nanobots before, you might be able to help Foxx cure Neo. Then he should be able to help us out. Even if Methuss beat him, if he was supposed to be his 'pet' he ought to know a lot about him that'll be useful to us."

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Maxwell asked. "I mean, kid or not, he's still a clone…"

"So am I." Nemo said with a frown.

"You're different. This could be a trap!"

"If it was a trap he wouldn't have sent us to Lucius Foxx, even with false information." She said.

"She's right. There's no way Lucius would work for Methuss. He's totally loyal to Bruce, trust me." Robin agreed with a nod.

"I guess…"

"Besides, I could tell he was being honest." She said, looking down to where her hand still rested on Rush's back. "And the pain he felt was _definitely_ real. If it wasn't, my powers wouldn't have done anything except make my hand glow, and they did much more than that. I might have even given him more time, if we're lucky, but I'm not sure."

"So…what're we going to do first?" Beast Boy asked.

She shrugged. "Wait for Rush to wake up."

(THE RUSH)


	30. The Plan?

_**Blanket Disclaimer:** Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse_

He woke in stages.

First he was able to feel—he felt he was on some sort of pillow, and that someone was petting his hair soothingly while a hand clutched one of his.

Next he could hear.

"I still don't understand how Neo could…channel himself through Rush like that." He heard the Original say, though it was more of a question than a statement.

"I'm not entirely sure, either." The Sorceress's voice replied. "I think it's a side effect of the cloning. Since Neo's DNA wasn't changed, it held an inert connection with Rush's. When they met, the connection was…awakened, so to speak, and that caused this. Rush said the other day he felt like he'd cried himself to sleep, but he couldn't remember doing so and he's usually able to remember if he had a dream that would make him cry. I think that's what was happening then, too…it wasn't as strong then, but strong enough that he was able to feel what Neo felt."

"You think Neo cried himself to sleep?" He heard the Squirt ask softly.

"It's highly probable that he did."

"Dude, why isn't Nemo like that, then? And Max?" The Comic Relief asked.

"Neo said he messed with Nemo's DNA, remember? It's the same thing with Maxwell's super clones—their DNA was changed, even if only slightly, so the connection never formed…or at least, not to the same degree as it did between him and Neo. Remember when Nemo said the same thing as him the other day? That's what it was then, too. Maybe Maxwell's DNA was changed too much when the super clones were made or something…"

Finally, he was able to open his eyes and did so, blinking blearily as they adjusted to the light, finding that his 'pillow' was actually the Squirt's lap, that it was the Squirt petting his hair, and that it was the Sorceress holding his hand.

"Sleeping Beauty finally awakes!" Cyborg exclaimed.

He reached up with his free hand and touched his now pounding head, sitting up slowly. "What happened?" He asked, frowning at the hoarseness of his voice.

"You…sort of passed out, and Neo somehow spoke to us through you." Cyborg explained. "Or something like that, anyways."

His brows furrowed. "Really?" He asked, coughing when his voice came out as a squeak and repeating himself, voice stronger this time.

"You were crying and everything. You scared me, big brother." The Squirt whispered, staring at him with wide, serious blue eyes.

"Sorry, squirt." He said, ruffling his hair. "So what's wrong with Neo?"

"Apparently Slade sold Methuss 'nanobots', and Methuss used them on Neo." The Kid said.

"Neo said Methuss told him he's going to die in three days." The Sorceress added. "And he was in a _lot_ of pain."

He nodded slowly. "Right."

"He also said he's going to go to that guy he told us about earlier, Lucius Foxx." The Squirt said.

He nodded again, and opened his mouth to speak, but, as seemed to be the norm around here lately, was cut off when the door opened, the Boy hanging off it looking paler than the Sorceress.

"Neo!" The Squirt exclaimed, scrambling to the older clone's side just in time to catch him as he slid down. "I thought you were going to Gotham!"

"I c-couldn't make it…it h-hurts, Nemo…" The Boy sputtered, and promptly passed out.

"That's it!" The Kid said angrily. "We're going to go to wherever Methuss is hiding out and—"

"No, we aren't!" He snapped, everyone giving him a surprised look, but he just he picked the Boy up and laid him on the couch. "I want to go after him as much as, if not more than, you do—trust me on that, kid. But we have to make sure Neo's taken care of first."

"What do you propose we do, then?" The Sorceress asked.

"Neo said he knows Tim Drake, right?"

"Yes…why?" The Kid asked.

He ignored the question, looking at Cyborg. "You guys have a video-phone?"

"Yeah." Cyborg nodded.

"Where is it?"

"Connected to the TV."

"Right, then. Hook it up and dial," he rattled off a number.

"You got it, Red." Cyborg said, dialing the number.

He hesitated for a moment, then reached up and removed his mask just as an older woman's face appeared on the screen. The Titans gaped at him, but said nothing as the woman spoke.

"Dawson! Caleb Nicholas Dawson, is that you?" The woman demanded, squinting at the screen.

He smiled softly. "Hey, Miss Lena. How are things at the orphanage?"

"It's me who should be asking you how _you're_ doing, young man! You haven't called in almost two months! Do you know how worried I've been? Well? Do you?"

"I'm guessing very?" He asked almost sheepishly (almost being the key word).

"Hmph! Don't you dare get smart with me, young man!"

"Yes, ma'am. And I'm doing just fine, thank you."

She sniffed. "Well, that's good to hear. And the orphanage is fine. I expect you want to talk to Jaelyn? She's been out of her mind wondering when you're going to visit, you know!"

"Yes, I would like to talk to her. While I'm doing that, would you get me Tim Drake's file? He's the one Bruce Wayne adopted a few months ago. I need his phone number, if you don't mind."

"You're the one in charge around here, not me, as much as I hate to admit it, you impish little snit!" The woman said huffily, turning away from the screen. "Jaelyn! Jaelyn Summers, your father is on the phone for you!" She screeched as she walked out of the room.

"Daddy!" He grinned at the familiar squeal, followed by the sound of scrambling feet. "Daddy, daddy, daddy!" A girl with long golden blonde hair and violet eyes ran by the doorway, trying to turn into the room but sliding past it thanks to her sock-clad feet, a crash sounding.

"Jaelyn, watch where you're going!" An irritated voice yelled.

"Sorry, sorry!" The girl said as she ran into the room. "Daddy! It's you! What took you so long to call? Where have you _been _for so long? Did you miss me? Well, daddy, did you? When are you coming to visit? It's been almost two months now, and you promised you'd visit soon! Everybody misses you, especially me!" The girl babbled.

"Slow down, angel." He said.

She frowned. "Daddy, what's wrong?"

"Daddy's got a lot going on right now, angel, that's all."

"Oh…I'm sorry, daddy."

"It's not your fault. But I have good news."

She brightened immediately. "What is it, daddy?"

"I'm coming with some new friends to Gotham to see Tim Drake—do you remember him?"

She nodded. "He only stayed for a little while, but I remember, daddy!"

"Well, I thought I'd come pick you up and you could come with us to see him."

She smiled widely. "That would be really nice, daddy!" She chirped.

"Okay. Where's Miss—"

"Oh! Wait! Daddy, I saw you on the news!"

He blinked at her. "Did you?"

She nodded vigorously. "Uhuh! You were in that funny costume with the X on it and you were fighting the…umm…what're they called again?"

"The Titans?"

She nodded again. "That's them!" She said, then frowned, wagging a finger at him. "Daddy, you have to be more careful! They're professionals, y'know, and if you get caught I'm _not_ gonna bail you out of jail!"

He bit his lip to keep from laughing. "I'm not going to get caught any time soon, promise."

"You'd better not, daddy!"

"I know. I won't, promise."

She nodded. "Good." She turned. "Oh, hey Miss Lee!" She turned back and blew a kiss at the screen. "I'll see you tomorrow, daddy! Love you!"

"Bye, angel."

The woman reappeared onto the screen as the girl disappeared. "I'll never understand you, Caleb Dawson." She sighed, shaking her head. "In any case, I got that number you wanted…oh, I just had it right here…" She ruffled through some papers. "Ah! Here it is!"

A number appeared on the screen.

"Thanks, Lee. You're a lifesaver…literally."

The woman gave him a stern look. "Are you in trouble, Caleb? More than usual, that is?"

"Not me…exactly. A friend of mine."

She blinked. "You? Friends?"

"Yes." He gave her a dry look. "I'll be by to pick Jaelyn up tomorrow morning. Early."

She nodded. "Very well. I'll have her ready. I suppose I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"See you."

"Oh! And Caleb, if you really _aren't_ in trouble…do us all a favor and _stay_ out of it!"

"Lee, you know I don't make promises unless I'm sure I can keep them—but I'll try."

She snorted. "That's all I'll get out of you, then." She said, and hung up before he could reply.

"Dude, what the heck?" The Comic Relief asked.

"I make more money than I need…that's all." He said, waving the question off.

"Is Jaelyn…Tandi's daughter?" Cyborg asked.

He nodded once, mouth pulling into a tiny half smile. "She looks just like her mom." He said, but nothing other than that on the subject as he dialed the number he'd been given.

A moment later, a tired young boy's face appeared on screen.

"Whazzit?" The brows furrowed together. "Mr. Dawson? Izzat you? D'you have any," yawn, "any idea what time it is? I just fell asleep!"

"I'm sorry, Tim. I need a favor."

The eyes widened. "Mr. Dawson, you _know_ I can't do that! What're you doing calling about favors on this line?" The voice dropped into a hiss. "What if Bruce comes in here and catches you? We'll _both_ get into trouble, and Jaelyn will _never_ forgive me if I let you get caught two years before you finally—"

"Adopt her, I know. I'm legit now, I swear. I'm calling from Titans' Tower, for God's sake!"

All hints of fatigue were gone by this point. "Are you _stupid_? I know you're a thrill seeker, but that's going _beyond_ guts! If Robin catches you, he'll—" The boy on screen cut himself off, peering at the Titans, whom he had just seemed to have noticed. "You _did_ get caught, didn't you? You really _are_ stupid—I'm not bailing you out of this, Mr. Dawson! Thanks for taking me in until Bruce adopted me and all, but if you were stupid enough to get yourself caught you can rot in jail!"

"I didn't get caught, Tim."

The boy stopped short. "You…didn't?"

"No, I didn't. I'm here legitimately this time, thank you very much. As one of them, even."

The boy's eyes narrowed. "Okay, who are you, and what did you do with Mr. Dawson? Is this some sort of joke? Am I on hidden camera or something? Did you get abducted by aliens again?"

"I _am_ Mr. Dawson, no, no, and I've _never_ gotten abducted by aliens. Will you listen to my favor now before you start jumping to conclusions?"

The boy sighed. "Fine…whaddya want?"

"Tell Wayne to have his medical lab open tomorrow. Apparently Methuss," He spat the name out like poison, "Has bought some new technology called 'nanobots' that he's going to use to kill off his competition…including, and probably especially, Wayne. I'm coming tomorrow with his first…test subject, along with the Titans, who have dealt with this before. We're hoping Lucius Foxx and Cyborg will be able to find a cure for it before it becomes a problem."

"Nanobots…?" The boy repeated pensively. "I've heard of that technology…sure, I'll tell him. Dunno why you didn't tell me all that in the first place instead of scaring me so badly, though!"

"You scared yourself, Tim. I'm probably in trouble now thanks to you."

The boy shrugged. "Your problem, not mine, dude—er, Mr. Dawson. If Robin's really on your side, have him or one of the other Titans come ahead of you with a blood sample from the test subject so Mr. Foxx can start scanning it. And have Cyborg send us the information he's already got on them. And…and be careful. See you, Mr. Dawson!"

"See you, Tim." The screen went blank.

"Do _all_ those kids at the orphanage know about you being a thief?" The Kid asked incredulously.

He shrugged. "Nah, just Tim, Jaelyn, and Miss Lena."

"Why don't they tell anyone? I mean…you're a _bad guy_! Er…you were one…whatever!"

He shrugged again. "It's like I said, kid—heroes don't help poor people." He paused, putting his mask back on. "I did."

"But…but they're in Gotham! Batman helps _everyone_!"

"Not really, kid. Batman gets rid of criminals, sure, but no one would steal from a homeless kid, know what I mean? And even if they did and Batman saved them…so what? He's saved them from getting mugged, so now they get to starve to death? Or they get to sell their bodies to make money so they _don't_ starve to death? You of all people ought to know Gotham isn't all hugs and kisses for orphans. I give them a place to stay until they get adopted, or if they end up staying until they're eighteen I give them money to start them off. Jaelyn, Tim, and Miss Lena know that, so…my being a thief is the lesser of two evils."

"That woman was right…I'll never understand you." The Sorceress said.

He shrugged, smirking as he scooped the Boy up. "Well, that's the idea. If we're going to get to Gotham by tomorrow morning, we'd better leave now."

"Cyborg, take a blood sample so I can get started ahead of you guys, and print off all the stuff we have on nanobots while you're at it." The Kid said.

Cyborg nodded, a needle appearing out of his arm and taking a blood sample from the Boy, who hardly even stirred.

Soon, the Kid was on his way, and they were close behind.

(THE RUSH)

_A/N: Okay, guys, I wanted to apologize if I lost you in this chapter! I so wasn't trying to do that! I'll try to explain:_

_1) Yes, Jaelyn is Tandi's daughter. In Ch15 at some point Tandi says something about 'the baby being at the nursery', and in Ch29 Neo talks about Rush using extra money he made to open an orphanage when he was thirteen, and how Tandi's kid was his first 'charge'. Their relationship and all will be explored more in the next chapter!_

_2) In my story, Robin is Richard "Dick" Grayson._

_3) Timothy Drake was at Rush's orphanage in between the time when his parents died and when he was adopted by Bruce Wayne. He's nosy, so he found out about Rush being Red X and all that just like he found out about Bruce being Batman. I've yet to decide if he's actually found out about Bruce being Batman yet in my story, partly because I dunno about having two Robins and partly because I dunno if I'll even bring in Batman himself, much less Tim as Robin._

_4) The third Robin, Jason Whatever-His-Last-Name-Is, won't be in this story. Probably the only Batman characters will be Bruce, Robin, Tim, Alfred, and Lucius Foxx, mostly because I'm not very familiar with the characters and am probably already getting them out of character enough without bringing in others, and because I seriously don't think I can handle keeping up with any more characters! _

_5) Before anyone gets totally and completely lost, the 'link' between Neo and Rush doesn't always kick in…just wanted to get that cleared up before you guys read this and are like: 'okay, why didn't the link kick in…?' for whatever reason…yeah… _


	31. The Orphanage

_**Disclaimer: **:slightly muffled but still loud yelling from under bed: I WON'T SAY IT! I ABSOLUTELY ON NO UNCERTAIN TERMS REFUSE:eyes glint as authoress is dragged out from under bed: Oh my…scary lawyers…okaysoIdon'townTeenTitansnowleavemealone! You so don't want to sue me, I'm liticaphobic and would so totally embarrass the crap out of you!_

(THE RUSH)

"Umm…Red, why exactly is your orphanage built in _this_ part of town?" Cyborg asked with a grimace as they peered out of the windows at the decrepit buildings and desolate citizens.

"Because no one else wants some dirty orphans mucking up their neat little neighborhoods." He replied with a frown and a shrug.

"Friend Rush, I believe I am beginning to understand what you meant when you said superheroes do not help the poor…" The Dolt piped up sadly from the back of the car.

"Yeah…this place is…" The Original paused, as if trying to find a word. "I mean, Robin said Batman helps, but _this_…it's just…"

"Pathetic." The Sorceress finished for the newest Titan.

"Heh…home sweet home, guys. Home sweet home." He said as he stretched his arm across the Sorceress to tap Cyborg's arm. "Next right, the big brick building on the corner." He didn't take his arm back away from the Sorceress, and she didn't comment…nor did anyone else, though whether that was for fear of her or him we may never know.

"You got it, Red." Cyborg said, pulling into the driveway of a building that was surprisingly nice (especially considering how dilapidated everything else was).

He twisted around in his seat to look at the Squirt, who had the Boy sprawled across the seats beside him with his head in his lap. "How's Neo holding up?"

"I think he's having a nightmare or something…" The Squirt said as he wiped the Boy's sweaty brow, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth.

He nodded. "Alright. I'll be right back." He said, opening the door and stepping out, not going up to the door but rather cupping his hands around his mouth. "Oi! Where's my welcoming committee, you bunch of slackers?! I'm gone for two months and you guys have already forgotten me? Or are you just lazy? The sun's been up for more than an hour now—your little hind ends should be hard at work!"

A window opened and a boy stuck his head out, grinning widely and disappearing back into the house. "Hey, everybody! Wake up! He's back! Mr. Dawson's back!"

"It's Mr. Dawson! Hi!" A young woman waved from another window enthusiastically.

"Mr. Dawson!" A small girl squealed as she ran out of the house.

"Daddy! Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy! You're finally here! You're home!" The girl from the day before streaked past the other and threw herself into his arms.

"That I am, angel!" He agreed, twirling her around once before setting her back on the ground. "I can hardly hold you anymore! You're growing up so fast!"

She giggled.

He ruffled the other girl's hair. "And how are you doing today, Audra?"

The girl smiled sweetly. "Very good, Mr. Dawson. How are you?"

"Very busy, actually."

"Are you staying to visit, Caleb?" The older woman from the night before asked.

He put his free arm around her and kissed her cheek. "Sorry, Lee, but I've got to get to Wayne Corp. to get Neo checked out. Next time, promise."

"Is Neo your sick friend's name?"

"He's sorta…my little brother…I'll explain later." He looked at Jaelyn. "Ready to go, angel?"

Jaelyn gasped. "No! I almost forgot! I'll be right back!" She squirmed out of his arms hurriedly and scrambled back into the house before he could say anything.

"She made cocoa for Neo. She says it'll make him feel better…" Miss Lena shrugged.

"It will, Mr. Dawson!" Audra piped up, tugging on his pant leg insistently. "Jay's cocoa _always_ makes people feel better! Like magic!"

"Like magic, huh?" He shrugged. "I guess it can't hurt…"

"Rush, we don't have time for this." The Sorceress said, but he wasn't given the time to answer.

"Boss!" The young woman from the window joined them, waving a small slip of paper. "Boss! You forgot to sign the check you sent us again!"

"God, did I?" He asked, taking the paper and pen from her and signing his name. "Well, life's been hectic lately…but I guess I almost always forget to sign…"

"It's a good excuse to get you to come visit, though, boss." The woman giggled, leaning up and kissing his cheek.

He shook his head. "We've been over this before, sweetheart, you're too old for me, and there's that whole emploer-employee relationship thing..."

She giggled again and winked at him. "That's never stopped you before, boss! Besides, since when have you ever played by anyone's rules but your own, hmm?"

"Oh, stop it, sweetheart, you'll give me a big head."

"As if it can get any bigger, you arrogant little whipper snapper!" She laughed, taking the paper and pen back. "Maybe next time I'll be able to sway you, then."

"Now, sweetheart, you shouldn't flirt with me—your hubby will get jealous." He scolded.

"Well," She patted her stomach, "With a little one on the way, he shouldn't be _too_ jealous!"

"Really? Congratulations, sweetheart!" He embraced her. "Now be a _real _sweetheart and go see what's taking _my_ little one so long, would you?"

She saluted him mockingly. "You got it, boss." She said, and disappeared back into the house.

"I'm coming, daddy!" Jaelyn reappeared a moment later, carefully balancing a mug in her hands.

"C'mon, angel, or we'll be late." He said, scooping her up with one arm while relieving her of the cocoa with his free hand. "Bye, everyone!"

"Bye, Mr. Dawson!" Several kids chorused from the windows, waving cheerfully.

"Come back and visit us soon!" Audra added from her place at Miss Lena's side.

"And don't forget to _sign_ your check next month!" The young woman yelled from the doorway. "We have bills to pay, and I can't keep tracking you down!"

"Will do, sweetheart!" He replied with a nod as he climbed into the car, seating Jaelyn in his lap while turning to hand the Squirt the steaming cup, and they once again took off.

(THE RUSH)


	32. The Ride

_**Disclaimer: **:slightly muffled but still loud yelling from under bed: I WON'T SAY IT! I ABSOLUTELY ON NO UNCERTAIN TERMS REFUSE:eyes glint as authoress is dragged out from under bed: Oh my…scary lawyers…okaysoIdon'townTeenTitansnowleavemealone! You so don't want to sue me, I'm liticaphobic and would so totally embarrass the crap out of you!_

"What's wrong with him, daddy?" Jaelyn asked, looking in the backseat at the Boy.

"He's really sick, angel. That's why we're going to Timmy's house—Tim's foster father is going to make him all better." He explained with a smile that was more confident than he was.

"Oh." She said thoughtfully. "Well…if you wake him up and he drinks my cocoa, he'll feel a little better." She tore her eyes away from the Boy long enough to look up at him. "I know he will daddy. People always feel better when they drink my cocoa."

"Like magic." He nodded. "Audra told me. And I'm sure that's true, but right now I think he needs to get some sleep, okay?"

She looked like she wanted to protest some more, but instead just nodded. "Okay, daddy, if you say so." She sighed, then brightened a little. "So what's his name?"

"It's Neo. And the other one back there is Nemo." He replied. "Those three in the back seat are Beast Boy, Maxwell, and Starfire, the woman sitting right there is Raven, and the metal guy on her other side is Cyborg. And everyone, this is my soon-to-be daughter, Jaelyn Summers."

She smiled and waved shyly, then buried her face in the crook of his neck.

He chortled. "Oh, so _now_ you get shy. They've been here the whole time, angel."

She shook her head and giggled.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Soon-to-Be Daughter of Friend Rush!" The Dolt exclaimed. "What is your favorite color? How did you learn to do all of those things? Will you be my new friend?"

She glanced up. "You're funny, lady." She remarked.

He coughed. "Did Miss Lena or Karin teach you to talk that way to your elders, young lady?"

"Oh!" She blushed, covering her mouth with her hands, but almost immediately pulling them away. "I'm sorry, Miss Starfire! I didn't mean to be rude! It's a pleasure to meet you, too! My favorite color is purple, and of course I will! And please, just call me Jaelyn!"

"Wondrous!" The Dolt clapped her hands together enthusiastically.

She smiled, then looked at the Squirt. "So your name is Nemo Dawson? I like that name! My name's going to be Jaelyn Dawson in two more years! That means you'll be my uncle!"

The Squirt blinked dumbly at her. "Huh?"

She tittered at his bewildered expression. "Daddy is going to adopt me in two years, silly! That means I'll have the same last name as you and him and your other brother, and I'll be your niece! Can I go ahead and start calling you Uncle Nemo now, or—"

He cut her off. "Slow down, there, angel. First, your last name isn't going to change even when I adopt you, okay? Second, Nemo isn't really my brother, he's my clone."

She gave him a confused look. "Clone? Like the sheep?"

"_Sheep_?" The Squirt piped up indignantly. "You're comparing me to a _barnyard animal_?!"

"Well I've never _heard_ of a human clone before, or I'd compare you to that! I've only heard of the sheep!" She retorted, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Jaelyn, behave." He said sternly. "You too, Nemo. And yes, Nemo is sort of like the sheep, but much more sophisticated and interesting."

The Squirt snorted. "Sheep…bah!"

"You sounded _exactly_ like one just then." Jaelyn pointed out with a smirk.

The Squirt blew a raspberry at her.

"Ahem." The Sorceress cleared her throat, and both children quieted.

"Thank you." He nodded at the Sorceress, who returned the favor.

"Rush, are you seriously going to adopt her in two years?" The Original asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'll retire from thieving—assuming, of course, that I haven't already done so in order to officially stay with the Titans—adopt her, and take over the orphanage."

The Comic Relief choked on air. "Dude, you mean you were planning to quit being a thief in two years anyways?" He exclaimed disbelievingly.

He shrugged. "I've been planning it since I found Jaelyn and opened up the orphanage."

"Yeah—why did you open the orphanage in the first place?" Cyborg asked.

"Because I have a crap load of money, nothing else to spend it on, and if I own the orphanage I can make sure no one adopts Jaelyn before I can." He replied with another shrug.

Everyone stared at him—even Jaelyn.

"So…it's not because you hated the orphanage you grew up in and wanted to open a better one or something like that?" The Original asked.

He blinked. "No…well, maybe a little bit, but not really. Plus…I love kids. They're seriously the biggest rush a guy can get—they're on an almost constant rush themselves, after all."

"It all comes down to that with you, doesn't it?" The Sorceress asked dryly.

"...Basically, yeah. Is there a problem with that?"

She just rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Anyhow…" He trailed off and shrugged. "That's how it is. I'm not much for mushy crap, even if it would win me brownie points or something."

"Umm…what are these points of the brownie?" The Dolt asked sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it, Star." Cyborg said. "We're here."

They saw the Kid standing on the steps of the humongous mansion next to three men and a boy, both he and the other boy waving at them.

One of the men, very obviously Bruce Wayne, wore a sharp navy blue business suit with a white shirt, but no tie, and looked imposing without seeming to be trying to do so…which, of course, made him all the more imposing.

Another wore a butler's uniform, with a single ring of gray hair about his otherwise bald head, one arm folded in front of him while the other was at his side.

The last was of the African American persuasion, wearing a brown turtle neck and dark green pants, looking cheerful but serious at the same time.

The boy was very obviously excited, as his arm waved back and forth with the energy only children possess, and wore a white t-shirt and black jeans.

"Hey, Mr. Dawson!" The Child said as he stepped out of the car.

"Hey, Tim." He replied, opening the back door and scooping the Boy up carefully.

He heard the Child gasp.

"Th-that's Owen! Bruce, that's Owen Williams! How do you know Owen, Mr. Dawson?"

"Let's not waste time on that, Tim." The Engineer said. "Best we get him inside first and start to figure out what's wrong with him, don't you think?"

"Lucius is right." The Businessman agreed. "Bring him inside…Mr. Dawson, is it?"

"Rush, at the moment." He said. "A pleasure."

The Businessman nodded and led them inside, to a room that looked like a laboratory and made him shudder. He felt the Squirt, who was holding onto his shirt, mirror his movement and scoot closer to him, and the Boy, unconscious though he was, shifted.

"Couldn't we do this somewhere else?" The Sorceress asked. The Businessman and Engineer gave her a confused look. "It's making them uncomfortable." She waved a hand at them.

"There's no need for anyone but…Owen…to stay." The Engineer said. "I'm sure Tim would be more than happy to take you on a tour of the house or something."

The Child nodded enthusiastically.

"We aren't leaving." He said, hearing the Squirt echo him.

"Very well then, you'll have to deal with it." The Businessman said irritably. "We can't exactly do this in the living room, after all."

"It's best if you all _wait_ in the living room, at the very least." The Engineer said. "You would only get in the way here, so Tim…"

"I shall take care of it, sir." The Butler said. "If you would all please follow me."

"I'm not leaving." He said with a frown, arms tightening around the Boy.

"Lucius said to leave, so you _will_ leave." The Businessman said, voice deathly serious.

"No, I won't." He replied with the same tone, meeting the man's gaze evenly. "He needs a familiar face in here in case he wakes up."

"Listen, boy, as long as we're under my roof, we'll do things my way—no highway option."

"Listen, _sir_, as long as we're messing with _my _clone, we'll do things _my_ way. So…I'll sit in the corner or something, but I'm not leaving."

The Businessman's scowl deepened, and he opened his mouth to say something.

"It's fine, Bruce" The Engineer said. "The kid _should_ have someone here it knows in case he wakes up while we're working. He won't get in the way."

"The minute he does, he's out."

"That's fine with me." He gritted out, glaring at the Businessman. If he didn't know better, he'd say this was the man who had raised Robin instead of Batman.

"You don't understand, sir." A sharp pain suddenly exploded in the back of his neck. "You see, he won't be awake to get in the way."

His world had gone black before he hit the floor.

(THE RUSH)


	33. The Memoires of a Fiery Savior

_**Disclaimer: **:slightly muffled but still loud yelling from under bed: I WON'T SAY IT! I ABSOLUTELY ON NO UNCERTAIN TERMS REFUSE:eyes glint as authoress is dragged out from under bed: Oh my…scary lawyers…okaysoIdon'townTeenTitansnowleavemealone! You so don't want to sue me, I'm liticaphobic and would so totally embarrass the crap out of you!_

"_Are you frightened, little one? You have nothing to be scared of as long as mommy's here…"_

"_Mama! Mama, it hurts!"_

"_Shh…hush, little one, it will be alright, I promise. It will stop hurting soon."_

"_But mama, it's hurting me! Make it stop!"_

"_It will stop soon, little one. Shh…"_

"_Mama, your hair! It's on fire! Mama…_you're_ on fire!"_

"_Hush, now, little one!"_

"_But Mama, you're burning! The smell—Mama, is that smell coming from you? Mama, I don't understand! What's going on?"_

"_It's alright, little one, I promise. Go now—go with the nice man for Mama, okay? Be a good boy, little one, promise me you'll be a good boy."_

"_I will, Mama, I will! But you have to come with me!"_

"_I love you!"_

_Crack…CRASH!_

"_Mama?"_

"…"

"_MAMA! Mama, come back! Mama!"_

"_Quiet, kid. She's gone! I'm sorry, but she's gone!"_

"_No! Mama! Don't leave me! Take me with you! Mama!"_

"_It's okay…shhh…"_

"_Mama! Make Mama come back! Please make her come back! Mama!"_

"_Someone call an ambulance! This kid has some major burns on his stomach!"_

"_NO! MAMA!"_

"_Calm down! Someone calm him down! Now!"_

"_MAMA!"_

(THE RUSH)

The child's distressed screams became his own as he bolted upright, tearing off his suddenly searing hot shirt and throwing it away before wrapping his arms tightly around himself, his breath coming out hard and labored as the horrid heat of the room closed in on him.

"Rush, calm down! It's alright, just calm down!" An urgent voice ordered from somewhere near him. A hand touched his sweltering shoulder.

He let out a sharp cry, twisted away from the touch, and then curled into himself, squeezing his eyes shut as the fires continued burning and crackling in his ears.

Two tiny sets of arms wrapped around him. "Daddy, please stop it. You're scaring me." A soft voice said, accompanied by a frightened sniffle.

Reality came crashing down around him, the flames and the pain he had been feeling suddenly extinguished by some unknown force.

Slowly, he pried his eyes open.

He was in a white room. The room he'd entered earlier with the Boy. It was almost like an infirmary of some sort, with only two beds so far as he could see, one occupied by himself while the Boy lay still unconscious, but tossing a little, in the other. There were numerous machines positioned in various sites around the room, all hooked up to either him or the Boy, and in turn to a computer located in the center of the far wall of the room.

Jaelyn was standing on one side of him and the Squirt on the other, both with their arms around him and their faces buried into his sides, and he could feel hot streaks burning down his sides, a different heat from before…this was a liquid heat.

He loosened his hold on himself and snaked his arms around them, still breathing raggedly even as his heart began to slow its frantic beating.

"Are you okay, daddy?" Jaelyn's voice was almost inaudible as she tilted her head up a little so as to look up at him, her eyes wide with fright and blurry with tears.

He felt himself nod and give her a minute but comforting smile. "I'm fine, angel." He assured her, voice hoarse from screaming but genuine all the same.

She burst into tears despite his words. "You were…screaming and…crying and…you…sc-sc-scared me!" She sobbed, burying her face in his side again and holding him tighter.

"I'm sorry." He tried to think of something else to tell her, some words to soothe her, but could think of nothing. "I'm sorry."

"What did you see?" He looked over at the Sorceress, who stood with the other Titans gazing at him, all of them with mixed expressions of fear and sympathy.

He flinched involuntarily at the thought of what he had seen. "Sh-she was burning." He felt his eyes sting. "She burned to death."

"Who burned to death, Friend Rush?" The Dolt asked, voice a whisper.

"My mom." The words were choked out around a strange lump in his throat. He began to shake and couldn't stop himself from continuing to do so.

"I thought you couldn't remember your mom?" Cyborg asked.

He shook his head. "I couldn't. I…c-couldn't…"

His vision went blurry and the room was consumed by flames. He threw his arms up around his head and whimpered, pulling away from the burning objects.

A soothing hand lay on his shoulder. "Caleb?" The voice was familiar, but the name sounded wrong coming from it, and was hesitantly speaking, at that.

He threw his arms around the owner of the voice, breaking down as he helplessly grasped the person. "Make Mama come back. Please make her come back." He wept. "Mama…"

Though the person had initially stiffened at the contact, either his words or tone made them relax and wrap their arms around him, one of their hands running through his hair soothingly. Lips pressed lightly against the top of his head, tickling his hair slightly as the person spoke. "She's gone, Caleb. She's been gone for a long time. Shh, it's okay…"

"What's wrong with _him_?" The voice was mixed with surprise and contempt and broke him out of his repressed memories.

He hiccupped once and pulled away from the Sorceress, who gave his shoulder a light squeeze before letting him go.

"Nothing." He whispered in reply to the Businessman.

"It didn't look like—"

"It doesn't matter." The Sorceress broke the Businessman off. "Did you find anything?"

"He didn't. I did." The Engineer said as he entered behind the other man.

"Well?" He asked, furiously wiping his eyes.

"I took blood samples from you and your clone to compare. I found no differences between the two except a subtle one—those nanobots are even smaller than ones I've seen before. They're more like a poison that miniature robots. I won't be able to dislodge them like Cyborg was able to do for…the original five Titans when Slade used them. Like Methuss said, an antidote has to be used, but…I'll have to have a sample of the antidote to copy. I don't have enough time to create one from scratch." The Engineer said apologetically.

"We don't have time to figure out a way to _get_ a sample! He's going to die in two days!" The Squirt exclaimed angrily, stamping his foot on the ground.

"Sure we do." He said. "Just give me a few hours."

"After what you just went through, you're in no condition to—" The Sorceress began.

"Neo doesn't have time for me to get in the condition to do something!" He snapped as he threw the blankets off of himself and stood, wavering for a moment before regaining his balance.

"Then what do you plan to do?" The Businessman asked disdainfully.

"I plan to get the antidote." He replied with the same tone.

"So dude, what do you want us to do?" The Comic Relief asked eagerly.

"I want all of you to stay here and watch over Jaelyn, Neo, and Nemo for me." He said, fetching his discarded shirt and pulling it back on.

"It won't take all of us to do that." The Kid pointed out.

"You've _obviously_ never babysat before." He snorted.

"It _won't_ take all of us." The Sorceress said firmly. "And I'm helping you whether you like it or not, because you _need_ help from at least one person."

"You're staying here with the others, Raven—I'm counting on you to make sure none of them corrupt any of the kids."

"I'm _not_ staying here with anyone, I'm going with _you_." She said, jaw setting stubbornly.

"Raven, please don't argue with me on this."

"I wouldn't if you would just stop being an idiot and see that I'm right. I know you're used to going it alone, but you're part of a team now."

"This coming from Miss Anti-Companionship herself."

"Anti-Companionship, maybe, but when it comes to matters like this I am very Pro-Teamwork."

"Well I'm not. When it comes to _this_, I work best alone."

"You'll just have to get over it, then."

"No I won't, because you're not coming."

"Yes she is, and I am, too." Cyborg said.

"Me, three." The Original said.

"And—" The Dolt began.

"No, Star, you, Rob, and BB stay here." Cyborg said. "Us four will take care of this."

"_I_ will take care of this." He gritted out.

"Shut _up_!" Cyborg and the Sorceress snapped.

Stormily, he did as they said.

They were _so_ not coming along.

(THE RUSH)

_A/N: For anyone who's confused about what happened at the end of the last chapter, Foxx knocked Rush out and took blood from him to compare with Neo's. So…yeah._


	34. The Plot

_**Disclaimer: **:slightly muffled but still loud yelling from under bed: I WON'T SAY IT! I ABSOLUTELY ON NO UNCERTAIN TERMS REFUSE:eyes glint as authoress is dragged out from under bed: Oh my…scary lawyers…okaysoIdon'townTeenTitansnowleavemealone! You so don't want to sue me, I'm liticaphobic and would so totally embarrass the crap out of you!_

"Alright, so what are we going to do?"

He snarled at Cyborg's casual use of that word—_we_—but didn't comment on it, though he very desperately wanted to, instead doing nothing to express his immense frustration at its usage except crossing his arms over his chest.

"Rush, I know you don't want us here, but you're going to have to get over it." The Sorceress sighed. "You're in charge of this mission, okay? You have to tell us what to do, other than telling us to do nothing or go back to the mansion or something of that sort."

He huffed, but moved on, seeing as he wasn't going to get his way…this time.

"Wayne had connections with the architect who built Methuss' main office." He said as he pulled out the blueprints the Businessman had given him. "I found a secret building added onto the schematics—that's where he keeps the clones, blood samples, etc."

"I'm somewhat familiar with the layout of that building." The Original put in helpfully.

"Somewhat familiar doesn't help us any." He said sharply.

"Rush." The Sorceress said sternly, and he snorted, but again dropped the matter.

"Nemo said this is the room the clones are kept in." He continued, circling the aforementioned room in blue. "This is where they keep the blood samples." Another room was circled, again in blue. "Now, seeing as cloning is…well, heavily frowned on even if it's not illegal yet, I think this must also be where he's keeping the nanobots and antidote." A final room was circled in red.

"What if you're wrong?" The Original asked.

"I'm never wrong." He replied tersely. "Call it a sixth sense."

"But won't Methuss be expecting that?" Cyborg asked.

"He would if he knew Neo was with us. He knows Neo helped us, and he knows Nemo is with us, but I'm positive he thinks I—we—hate Neo's guts and wouldn't help him no matter what, so at the very least he won't be expecting us to go after him so soon."

"Are you sure—?" The Sorceress began.

"Sixth sense, Raven. Even if he did expect us to be going after him, he would expect Robin to be in charge, which would mean we would go for a direct attack on him. No offense, but subterfuge isn't really Robin's style. I'm a loner, and even if I wasn't I would lean towards being the leader, not a follower, but he would expect me to be overturned on the grounds that I'm an ex-thief and you guys know that, which means you wouldn't side with me on that particular subject and Robin would be in charge." He explained.

"Ah."

"Right. I'm the smallest person here other than Raven, plus I'm the most experienced at this sort of thing, so I'll sneak in and—"

"It would be better for me to sneak in, if you're planning on opening a door of some sort so the others can get in as well." The Sorceress broke in. "You might be more experienced, but I can keep myself cloaked in shadows so as not to be seen. Plus, if I get caught I can just banish the person to another dimension before they can sound the alarm."

He pursed his lips, but nodded. "Fine." He pointed at a part of the schematic. "These are the air vents. This part of the building is underground, so this is how they exchange the air. You'll sneak in at this entrance," he pointed at something else, "and I'll direct you via this headset," he pulled a headset out of the small bag he'd brought with him, "to this door," he pointed again, "which you will then open, allowing us inside, cloaking and banishing as you will."

She nodded as she and the others all took a headset. "Where did you get these?"

"From the one and only other group heist I've ever participated in."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Oh, really? What happened?"

"Well, I've never done a group heist since then, so take a wild guess." He drawled, giving her a 'look'. "They're special headsets made by a very talented technician. They only allow the person who owns them to hear what's being said. It doesn't do anything to mask _your_ voice, but no one will hear any of the rest of us talking to you. I deleted their previous owners long ago, and you guys are now programmed into them."

"When did you do that?" The Original asked.

"They were going to be Christmas presents to take places of those stupid communicators, and I get insomnia periodically." He explained. "Put them on."

They did, and gaped down at themselves as the headsets grew into full body suits, black in color, covering everything but their eyes.

"Was the guy who made these human?" The Original blinked.

"Very, but he was also a genius."

"Was?" Cyborg asked.

He nodded. "Silas Stone. Apparently he died of heartache a while back after his wife died in an accident and his son, whose life he'd saved, ran away."

The color drained out of the human half of Cyborg's face.

"You knew him?"

"He was my father."

He grimaced. "Ah…he was a good man." He said awkwardly (he was no good at that whole comforting people thing…), then cleared his throat. "Anyhow, those will work as far as costumes go. If you need to change to some other disguise, there's a button over your left ear…well, it's easy enough for you to figure it out yourselves."

"Right." The Sorceress said. "So, after I let you guys in, what do we do?"

"Once we're in, Maxwell will take these video-feeds and hook them into all the cameras. They'll start a loop that ought to last long enough for us to have time to get in and out." He said. "Since he's super-fast, that shouldn't take too long…" He paused and looked at the Original. "Do you know how to hook those in?"

The Original nodded.

"Good. After he's done that…" He trailed off, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger—this was why he hated group heists. He had to think of something for everyone to do…and resist the urge to do it for them.

"Cyborg, Maxwell, and I will take out the guards while you go after the antidote." The Sorceress jumped in. "Tell us when you've got it, and we'll create a diversion until you're clear."

His eyebrows shot upwards as he wondered if she had done this before. "Sounds good to me." He said as he looked at the other two.

"Simple is good." Cyborg agreed with a nod.

"Let's do this thing." The Original said.

He snorted. "It's not as simple as we made it sound. First, I want Cyborg to hack into their computers and find out what the uniforms are for janitors. Raven can use the outfit to change into that, plus an ID tag. Once she lets us in, all of you change into business suits while I infiltrate the vents and go after the antidote. You'll follow along with me in the vents, and if I hit any trouble you can back me up as needed. Once I'm in the room where the antidote is kept, you guys go and do whatever—far away from the room—until I tell you I'm ready to leave."

"Then we do our thing, kick some major bad guy butt, and once you're out, we hightail it out of there." Cyborg said with a grin, seemingly delighted with the prospect.

He nodded. "Right."

"Do we have any idea what sort of security they'll have in that room?" The Sorceress asked with a frown. "You might need help from one of us."

He cracked his knuckles, smirking. "Leave that to me, Rae. I'm a solo guy, remember? I'll have cracked harder safes than Methuss can come up with, trust me. I've successfully infiltrated Fort Knox, for God's sake—when I was thirteen, even—this job will be _cake_."

"You broke into _Fort Knox_ when you were _thirteen_?" The Original asked, wide-eyed.

He shrugged. "It was a clean job and I got a good cut of the money."

"You'll do anything for money, won't you?" The Sorceress asked with a sigh.

He frowned. "No, I very well won't." He all but snapped. "I steal. That's all. I don't kill or kidnap or anything else someone could think of—I just steal. That's my area of expertise like yours is fighting crime. If the person requires that I kill someone _while_ I'm stealing, I turn down the job. And I only fight if it's absolutely necessary. I steal for money and I love getting a rush, but I do have morals, which I stick to very closely, thank you kindly, and you'll do well not to assume I'll do _anything_ for money, because the truth is you just don't know much of anything about me, or apparently not enough for you to know me better than that."

She looked stricken by his words, a light blush spreading across the bridge of her nose. "I…"

He waved her off. "I'm used to it. But for someone so smart, I'd have thought you would've realized I won't do _anything_ for money, like killing, when I reacted so badly to Methuss. He's willing to pay quite well for my…services. I guess now you know."

"How is it that almost every conversation with _you_ ends in a lesson on ethics?" Cyborg asked.

He shrugged. "If thieving was honest work, I would be a very ethical person."

Cyborg paused. "I know you've been completely legit for the past few weeks…but it's still a bit strange to think of you as ethical…"

He laughed. "Well then, I've done my job right. And it will be even stranger to think of me as ethical after this job."

"Why's that?" The Original asked curiously.

He smirked as he held up a very familiar mask. "Because I'll be doing it as Red X."

(THE RUSH)


	35. The Apartment

_**Disclaimer:** Nothing's mine but the plot, Neo, Nemo, and to some degree Rush! And the clones and Methuss belong to a friend of mine! So there!_

'_God, I missed this!_' He thought as he swerved neatly to avoid crashing into (or rather, running over) some random civilian who was trying to cross the street.

The arms around his waist tightened.

"_D'you think you could at least TRY not to—_" The Sorceress cut herself off with a gasp as he drove the bike up a convenient ramp (it was actually a wooden wheelbarrow of some sort that some citizen was getting ready to load with various produce), reveling in the rush he got as they flew through the air before landing easily.

"_Sorry, darling, what was that you were saying?_" He asked with a smirk, though of course she couldn't see it—he got the feeling when she pinched him she knew he was smirking anyhow.

"_I was saying be careful, you idiot!_" She snapped irritably.

"_I am being careful—we haven't hit anything yet, have we?_"

"_Yet?_"

"_Calm down, darling. Honestly, you fly all the time but you're scared of a little bike ride?_"

"_It's a very big bike and you're going way too fast for comfort, not to mention you seem bent on giving me—or some innocent civilian—a heart attack!_"

"_Darling, I'm not going fast at all. And I would never try to give you a heart attack!_"

"_You're going nearly 200 miles per hour! And quit calling me darling!_"

He chuckled. "_Only 200? I must be getting slow in my old age, or rusty from my time with you Titans._" He sighed sarcastically. "_Surely you fly faster than this sometimes?_"

"_Yes, but I'm in complete control of that!_"

"_Well, I'm in complete control of this! Relax and enjoy the ride…and let's not forget the rush._"

"_If we get out of this alive, I'll kill you._" She hissed.

"_I'll die happy then, darling._" He couldn't help but say.

She pinched him again. "_I said stop calling me darling!_"

"_Actually, you said you'd kill me if we get—_" A third pinch interrupted him, and he jiggled the handle a little so that the bike swerved just enough to make the Sorceress' arms tighten all the more around him.

"_Rush, stop tormenting Raven._" Came Cyborg's amused but scolding voice.

"_Aww…spoilsport._" He mumbled.

"_You're awfully…cheerful, aren't you?_" The Original asked curiously.

"_Hey, we're finally doing something I'm familiar with. All that saving people was driving me crazy! Now I'm on familiar ground._" He replied.

"_You're feeling no pressure at all, are you?_" The Sorceress sighed.

"_Well, getting nervous does more harm than good on life-or-death jobs like this._ _Besides, I've been doing this for a long time. I'm self-trained to be calm at all times._"

"_Infuriating is what you are._"

"_Now, now, darling, you're going to hurt my feelings._"

"_Stop calling me that before I banish you to another dimension._"

"_Uptight, much? Relax, Raven, amazingly after ten years I know what I'm doing._"

A sigh was his only response.

He couldn't help but laugh again, hoping that his pseudo-calm demeanor was helping to loosen up his new partners in crime, which it seemed to be doing—even the empathetic Sorceress didn't seem to be as edgy as she had been earlier.

The truth of it was: he was a nervous wreck…just like he was before any other heist. No matter how many heists he pulled, he always felt that familiar uneasy tug on his stomach as he started, though it disappeared once he got swept up into the rush. All arrogance and seemingly egotistical words aside, he was really very insecure about his work. A strict perfectionist, even the slightest indefinite variable in his plans often had him starting over from scratch or even scrapping an idea entirely, though in the back of his mind he knew from past experience he could pull off anything.

But then again, it had been said that being nervous was a sign that you really loved something, and if that was true he dearly loved being a thief—which he knew he did, of course.

As they entered Bludhaven, he slowed his bike to just above the speed limit (an agonizing 55 mile per hour pace), immediately feeling the Sorceress settle down almost completely.

"_Happy now, darling?_" He asked, allowing some disappointment at having to slow down seep into his voice.

"_I'd be happier if you would stop calling me darling._" She grumbled.

"_Alright, alright, fine…I'll stop. But I won't be happy about it._" He pouted.

He heard Cyborg and the Original laugh, while the Sorceress just snorted.

"_Okay, everyone, here we are._" He said finally, pulling to a stop in a familiar alley beside a very familiar apartment complex.

"_Where exactly is 'here'?_" The Original asked as the small black car they'd borrowed from the Businessman pulled into the alley beside them.

"_This is Tandi's apartment._" He replied as he and the Sorceress dismounted the motorcycle and removed their helmets, hanging his on the handlebars while the Sorceress set hers in the seat.

"Oh." The Original grimaced.

"I thought you didn't come back to Bludhaven after Tandi was killed?" The Sorceress asked.

"I didn't. But I bought the complex from Methuss…though he had no idea who I was, of course. And I'll go ahead and warn you: I never had anyone clean up or anything, so I don't know what it'll look like."

"A'ight. Let's go." Cyborg said, putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it comfortingly.

He smirked, once again belying his discomfort. "Right." He agreed, leading the way inside…and almost immediately stopped and put a hand against the doorway to steady himself.

It wasn't that it smelled like dead bodies or something…in fact, he might have found that more comforting than the sight that met his eyes.

It was exactly as he remembered it…even the blood stains remained, some spurts still slung across the wall, though it didn't particularly surprise him that the police hadn't bothered to clean the blood up (this was Bludhaven, after all).

"My God…" He heard the Original whisper—apparently the others _were_ surprised.

"Will you be okay, Red?" Cyborg asked, though his voice sounded strangely distant.

"I just...need a minute..." He replied, his throat closing up around the words so that they came out rather strained. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, only vaguely aware of the sound of the Sorceress reciting her infamous chant, though when he reopened his eyes he did notice that the stains had been covered by blankets. He shot her a grateful look, which she may or may not have noticed as he was walking into the room before he could gauge her reaction, or lack thereof.

"Do you think one of Methuss' spies spotted us?" The Sorceress asked.

He shrugged, glad that someone had brought something up that would take his attention of the apartment and the memories therein. "It might be better if they did."

"Why?" The Original asked.

"And I swear to Azar if you say something about the rush…" The Sorceress began threateningly.

He chuckled. "No, no, nothing to do with that, I promise. If Methuss knows we're here, it'll set him on edge. He'll up security, add more guards…"

"How is that a good thing?" The Original asked confusedly.

"The more security he has, the easier this will be."

"How do you figure that?" Cyborg asked.

"Because with more guards around—_new_ guards—there will be less of a chance of you guys being noticed, since they'll mistake you as some new guards once your suits are programmed for their uniforms. Plus, the guards will know something is up, which will make them more tense—the more tense you are, the more likely you are to overlook the very things you're looking for. That's one of the kid's problems." He smirked. "It's also the reason he didn't realize who I am until Starfire spilled the beans."

"Oh?" The Sorceress asked.

"Yeah. Loath though I am to admit it, I didn't really do a good job of concealing who I was, seeing as you and Cy figured me out so fast. No offense, you understand, it's just that if I'd been doing my job right, then at the very least it would've taken you longer to catch on."

"But you have no doubts that you'll be able to make yourself a convincing employee?"

"Of course not." He waved her off, using his other hand to knock over a dusty picture frame so he didn't have to look at Tandi and Kylan's smiling faces. "I've stolen from enough of them to _know_ how business-types and their employees act. _That's_ a piece of cake even for me—I don't claim to be some kind of master actor. Heck if _I_ know how a new superhero is supposed to act."

Cyborg laughed, ruffling his hair. "Our little thief finally admits he can't do something? I'm shocked!" The older man said.

He smirked. "Hey, I never claimed to be perfect at anything…except thieving, that is. When it comes to that I'm the hottest thing around." He said.

"There's the Rush we know." The Original laughed.

"Are you calling me arrogant?" He asked indignantly.

"Yes!" The other three chorused, the two guys bursting into another bout of laughter while the Sorceress just smiled softly before seeming to become bothered by something.

He frowned. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering…doesn't Methuss know who you are? I mean, he knew you were Red X when he called, right?" She inquired.

He nodded. "Yes, of course. I haven't been in Bludhaven since Tandi and Kylan were killed, but Methuss has other branches of his company all over. I've stolen from him more times than I can count, _and_ made sure he knew who I was even _after_ I stole the kid's suit."

"So if he sees you, won't he be able to turn you in or something?"

He smirked and winked cheekily at her. "Nah. What proof does he have? And besides," He adopted a mockingly serious expression (though probably it was difficult to make out around his mask), "The Titans would _never_ go around making friends with _criminals_. Tsk, tsk, what audacity you have to accuse them of such a thing!" He scolded, wagging a finger at her.

"What if he taped the conversation we had with him over the phone?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

He snorted and waved her off. "What if, what if! What if the sky falls and destroys the planet before Methuss has a chance of doing so with his clone army? There are way too many unknown factors for anything in the world to be certain, except that _nothing_ is certain. That said: there's no point in worrying about it. It's not like we can sit around and do nothing. Besides, he could've doctored the tape or something, right? So no worries, da—Raven."

She sighed. "I suppose…"

"Calm down, Rae." Cyborg said, throwing an arm around her shoulder good-naturedly. "It's a bit backwards, true, but we can trust Red on this one. He knows what he's doing, and he won't let anything happen to us. We'll be fine." The half-robot assured her.

His heart constricted jealously in his chest at the sight of her immediately relaxing at Cyborg's words, in spite of the fact that _he_ had said much the same thing several times over.

"So then, I guess we should go to bed now?" The Original asked.

"Yeah." He nodded stiffly in agreement. "You guys should get some sleep."

"Us? What about you?" Cyborg asked.

"I'll be keeping watch." He said as he sat in the very windowsill he had hidden under as a child.

"You need to sleep, too, master thief or not." The Sorceress said, putting a fist on her hip.

He shook his head. "Nah, I can stay up for three days straight before it starts effecting me."

"More thief training, I suppose?" The Original chortled.

He smiled as sheepishly as he could manage (embarrassment wasn't an emotion he dealt with very often). "Ehm…no, actually, I'm just a very bad insomniac and have grown accustomed to being unable to sleep for long periods of time."

"And when was the last time you slept?" The Sorceress asked suspiciously.

"Yesterday, mother." He replied, holding up a hand. "Thief's honor."

"Thieves don't really have honor, do they?" Cyborg asked.

"Of course we do!" He said indignantly. "We honorably help ourselves to whatever we want."

Cyborg and the Original burst out laughing again.

"Alright, alright." Cyborg said through his laughter.

He wagged a finger at them. "Now: to bed with all of you before I go mommy on your rears." He scolded. "Off with you! Shoo, shoo!"

The other two guys guffawed all the way to one of the bedrooms (Kylan's room, he noted with a nostalgic frown). The Sorceress gave him a hesitant look before following after, disappearing into the remaining room (Tandi's, he supposed).

With a shaky sigh, he curled up in the fetal position on the blanket covering Tandi's long-dried lifeblood, staring with half-lidded eyes at the doorway.

Predictably, and somewhat thankfully, sleep refused to come to him.

(THE RUSH)


	36. Finally! The Romance!

_**Disclaimer:** Nothing's mine but the plot, Neo, Nemo, and to some degree Rush! And the clones and Methuss belong to a friend of mine! So there!_

That's how she found him the next morning, curled up on the blanket, facing the door.

"You should've woken one of us up to take over for you." She said softly.

Startled, he looked over at her, and she frowned. Dark circles from lack of sleep showed even under his mask, rimmed slightly with red. One side of his face, the side he had been lying on, was covered with deep red impressions as if he hadn't moved in a few hours, if not the entire night.

"Nah, you guys needed your sleep." He shrugged, standing and stretching to get all the kinks out of his shoulders and back. "Besides, I wouldn't have been able to get any sleep anyhow."

"Still…"

"I'm fine, promise." He grinned lopsidedly at her. "No need to worry about me, darling."

She rolled her eyes.

"It _is_ cute that you're worrying, though." He added, grin widening into a flirtatious smirk.

She felt her cheeks darken into a deep shade of red. "Stop doing that." She all but hissed, turning away from him and going to the kitchen, where she proceeded to begin making a cup of tea to calm her all-too-quickly fraying nerves.

"Stop doing what?" He asked, sounding genuinely confused as he followed her, pulling himself up onto the kitchen counter.

"Flirting." She said, putting a hand on her hip. "Calling me cute and darling and gorgeous and other things like that…just stop it."

He tilted his head to one side. "Why?" He asked curiously, swinging his legs back and forth but being careful not to hit the counter beneath him.

"Because I told you to." She replied.

"But I like calling you those things. I'm not much for lying, you know." He said.

She snorted. "See, there you go again. It's annoying, so stop it."

"But darling…" He whined teasingly.

"I said stop!" She snapped. "God, I just…I don't understand you lately! I mean, I didn't really understand you _before_, but this is getting ridiculous! Ever since this mission started, especially, you've just been…I don't know, weird! It's really starting to grate on my nerves!"

He looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "I didn't think I was acting particularly strangely." He said almost offhandedly, legs stopping mid-swing.

"Well you are. I mean, that day before we met Nemo and all you kissed me, but even after that we just sort of settled back into…I don't know, normalcy I guess, and now all of a sudden you're starting to come onto me again! And it really feels like you're…_using_ me or something!"

He froze, but his reason for tensing was unclear to her. Slowly, eyebrows furrowing together almost angrily, he turned to face her. "I'm _not_ using you." He insisted.

"Look, no matter what you said that night, I know you like Starfire. Everyone does, and it isn't going to hurt my feelings if you do, too." She said, pouring the steaming water into a cup and stirring the tea to life in order to give herself an excuse not to look at him. "It…hurts my feelings a lot more that you're insisting on…flirting with me, or whatever it is you're doing, when you don't really feel that way about me, okay? It's annoying, and I'm asking you to stop."

She turned and nearly dropped her cup when she found him standing right behind her, his face only inches away from her own.

"I would _never_ do that." His voice was low and serious. She wrinkled her nose a little at the smell of his morning breath, though the _feel_ of it across her face caused her to shiver at the same time. "I don't know why you think I would, but I wouldn't, I haven't, and I won't. Especially not to you. I know you think I like Starfire, and when I was Red X, sure I flirted with her, but that was just to tick Robin off and I knew she'd never take me seriously, if not because she likes Robin too then because I was a criminal at the time. But you'll notice that since I became a Titan I _don't_ flirt with her at all, and I already explained to you why that is."

"You—" He cut her off before she could finish.

"I'm a thief, Raven. The best thief. So I can see to some degree why you don't trust me. But at the same time, for now at least, I'm a Titan and I'm your friend." He reached a hand up towards her face, but stopped it just short of touching her. "I became a Titan to see you smile and laugh, but as you can see I stuck around even after I saw that. I don't understand what's going on any more than you do…but I _want_ to understand. And I'm not going to leave, and I'm not going to stop until I _do _understand, and depending on what happens between now and then, I may or may not stop after that." Even through his mask his eyes pierced her.

"You—" But he cut her off again.

"_You_ want to understand too, Raven, but you're trying to push me away by hiding behind that stupid mask of yours, and I won't let you so you feel insecure and scared." He leaned even closer, his hand finally touching her cheek. "Ignoring me isn't going to make me disappear, and neither is yelling at me or pushing me away. I'm not going anywhere."

She shook her head and pulled away from his hand. "Rush, I…"

"I'll wait, but I won't give up." He said, a stubborn edge attaching itself to his voice.

Hesitantly, she nodded. "Okay. I'll…I'll try to understand, too."

And he leaned forward and kissed her.

(THE RUSH)


	37. The Start of Something

_**Disclaimer:** Nothing's mine but the plot, Neo, Nemo, and to some degree Rush! And the clones and Methuss belong to a friend of mine! So there!_

"Okay, everyone's got their suits, right?" He asked, pulling his Red X mask over his face and smirking despite himself at its familiar weight on his face.

"That we do, dude." Cyborg said, giving him a thumbs up.

"Good." He paused as a sudden thought struck him. "Say, Cyborg, d'you happen to come equipped with a keyboard?"

Cyborg blinked. "Uh…yeah, but what does that have to do with…?"

"Just let me see it. I want to check something."

Glancing at the others, who shrugged, he hit a button, and a keyboard appeared out of his chest.

"Alright, Silas, time to see how well you know me." He muttered, typing something so fast they couldn't see it. A sharp 'ding' sounded out, and he smirked. "Cyborg, your dad was a genius."

"Why?" Cyborg asked, then jumped as his arm suddenly shot out as if it had a mind of its own, opening up. Five pistols shot out of it.

"Because of that." He pulled out two of the pistols and belted them before handing one to the Sorceress and the Original and giving Cyborg the remaining one. "I knew apprenticing myself to your dad would pay off one day."

"You were apprenticed to my dad?"

"Sure—for a few weeks before the accident." He smirked at their incredulous expressions. "Hey, I'm a man of many talents. I've done a lot more than you give me credit for."

"Y'know what…forget it. You're obviously too confusing for anyone to figure out." The Original shook his head and sighed.

His smirk widened.

"Why would my dad put _guns_ in my _arm_?" Cyborg asked. "Especially for _you_? For that matter, why would you want guns in the first place? I though you were anti-murder?"

"That's why the bullets are actually sedatives, nets, and…some sort of tazer thing." He shrugged. "I would want them because they come in handy, and he put them there for me because he was a genius and told me a thousand times that you and I'd be great friends, so we should…I think he said 'hang out'." He rolled his eyes. "Silas was a bit senile, but not a bad guy overall. Though I get a feeling at times like this that he could see into the future. Anyhow, how else would I have gotten those earpieces if I hadn't apprenticed myself to him? They were my payment, after all."

"How do you know all these people? Cyborg's dad, Tim Drake…" The Sorceress trailed off.

He shrugged. "I know Tim because he's an orphan, and I knew Silas because he was one of the greatest scientists of all time, and I wanted some of the technology he had. I have a surprising amount of perfectly legitimate sources…" He winked impishly at them. "And nearly three times as many _illegitimate_ ones, though I doubt _that's_ very surprising at all."

"You really _are_ confusing." The Sorceress sighed.

"Yep." He agreed with a smirk and a wink which he was almost positive caused her to blush (he wasn't _completely_ positive because of that blasted hood). "Now then, for anyone who doesn't know how to shoot a gun, just turn the safety off, aim, and pull the trigger. There are three buttons up the side for you to choose which type of bullet you want to use, but if you won't have time to hit one of those first, it defaults on sedatives. If you run out of bullets—which I pray to God you won't—just stick them in the belt of your suit and it'll be taken care of." He nodded respectfully at Cyborg. "Another little bit of genius on your father's part."

"How did he know you and I would become…friends?" Cyborg asked cautiously.

He smirked again. "Well, I'm hoping he didn't and was just taking a wild guess. But Silas was a very insightful guy, so who knows? Maybe he really _could_ see into the future, or something like that." With a light chuckle, he changed the subject before he was asked any more awkward questions to which he didn't know the answer (he didn't enjoy admitting that he didn't know something—though admittedly that didn't happen very often). "Everyone know what they're doing? Get it, got it, good, and all that jazz—let's get going, people."

"For someone who hates group heists, you sure are good at bossing people around." The Original commented.

"Hey, for someone so paranoid, you haven't said much about those clones in the past few days." He retorted.

"Don't get started on that again, Red." Cyborg chided him.

"Yes, mother. But first," he adopted a horribly fake (but somehow recognizable) Ricky Ricardo accent, "Cyborg, you got some hackin' to do!"

(OFFICIALRUSHPAGEBREAK)

"I feel like an _idiot_ in these clothes." The Sorceress grumbled gloomily as they stood in an alleyway beside Methuss Industries, awaiting his decision to begin with their plan.

"You _look_ like an idiot in those clothes." He replied, earning himself a swat to the back of his head. "What? It was a compliment—you're supposed to be a _guard_, for gods' sake. They _all_ look like idiots. And that's coming from a guy who knows."

"Red, open mouth insert foot before Rae does it for you." Cyborg chuckled.

He turned and winked at them. "And since when have I been known to shut my mouth when it would be better for me if I did?" He asked, smirking, then sobered so quickly it was a wonder he didn't get emotional backlash. "Now, enough chitchat. You ready, dar—Raven?"

She scowled at his almost-slip, but nodded.

"Good. Cyborg, if you would give the kind lady a leg up to that vent." He pointed a few feet over their heads.

"I can fly." The Sorceress pointed out tersely, floating up to the vent in order to prove her point.

"Ruin all the fun." He mumbled just loud enough for everyone to hear him, getting a few chuckles from Cyborg and the Original and a roll of the Sorceress's eyes. "I guess you'll want to use your powers to open the vent instead of using some nifty gadgets, too?"

"That sounds about right." She replied before muttering her spell and quietly tearing the vent off, allowing it to fall very close to his head, but catching it before it hit him and tossing it into the nearby dumpster and smirking when she heard him mumble about 'sadistic sorceresses'.

"Alright, Raven, here goes everything…no pressure, though." He chortled as she crawled into the vent, switching his headset on and waiting for her to do the same. "_Alright, go straight for a few feet until you reach a short incline._"

A few quiet banging noises. "_Okay, I'm here._"

"_Somewhere between where you are and the bottom of the incline there's a turnoff. It should be to your right. Take it._"

Ting, BANG! "_Dear Azar—alright, got it._"

"_You okay?_"

"_Nearly slid past it, and there was a spider web._"

"_Ah. Well, keep going until you reach an intersection, and take a left. Almost immediately after that is another incline, and this one's sharper than the last. Go down it, take another left, and let us know when you're there._"

There was absolute silence for a few tense minutes.

"_I'm here._"

"_Check through the vent, but you should be above a janitor's closet._"

"_I am._"

"_Good. Get out of those vents, dust yourself off, and exit. Then you should be able to follow the exit signs back to us, or just take the opposite directions as I gave you, interposing 'stairwell' for 'incline'._"

More silence.

"_Why'd you take me so far away from the exit?_" She hissed as they heard her shoes clacking against the stairs.

"_Less suspicious. Don't tell me all that flying has gotten you out of exercise, darling?_"

"_Shut it or as soon as this mission is over you'll find yourself in a dimension that still believes in chopping off the hands of thieves._"

"_Go ahead, I'll never get caught long enough for them to do it._"

"_You will if I sabotage you._"

"_I think I'm corrupting you, dear Raven._"

They heard a snort, then complete and utter silence—even more than there had been when she was in the vents. Then all they could hear was the hiss of an offline communicator.

"_Raven? Raven are you there?_"

"_Rae, you a'ight, girl?_"

"_Raven, can you hear me? Raven, answer us!_"

They shot backwards as the door opened, Raven leaning against the doorway with a sweet smirk on her face.

"For being so laid back when you're on these jobs or yours, you sure do lose faith fast, Red X." She sneered, twirling a set of keys around a finger.

"Why didn't you answer?" He asked, a deep scowl set in his features.

"Because I was busy banishing a guard or six." She replied nonchalantly, tossing him the keys. "And you'll be pleased to know those are the keys from the head guard, who has access to all areas of the building, should you want to forego the vents."

He snorted. "No. Thieving lesson number one: _never_ deviate from a plan unless it's absolutely necessary. I've seen way too many newbies get jailed that way."

"But—" The Original began.

"Trust me, Max, if your luck seems too good to be true, it probably is."

They began to protest again.

"Hey, who's the master thief here?"

They deflated.

"That's what I thought. You guys won and got to come along, but you're gonna have to lose this round. I know what I'm doing."

Cyborg shook his head. "Well…you're the boss."

"I'll hang onto these just in case." The Sorceress said, hooking the keys to her belt.

"Alright." He pulled out the fake tapes, handing them to the Original. "This is your go, Max. There should be more than enough there, so if there are any cameras I didn't account for you've got plenty of extras."

Max nodded, took the tapes, and disappeared for a few minutes, returning out of breath but with a triumphant grin on his face, giving them a thumbs up as he caught his breath.

He took a deep breath and, without warning, launched himself off the ground, then off Cyborg's shoulder into the vent, smirking at Cyborg's surprised outcry.

He saluted them.

"Don't get caught." He said, and disappeared from their sight into the vent.

(THE RUSH)


	38. The Heist and The Getaway

_**Disclaimer:** Nothing's mine but the plot, Neo, Nemo, and to some degree Rush! And the clones and Methuss belong to a friend of mine! So there!_

He veered left in the maze of metal, forcing himself to listen to the sounds surrounding him in the vent rather than the blood pumping through his veins.

'_Suffocating vents, too many guards, the occasional spider web and rat's nest…_' He thought as he slid down a ventilation shaft and stepped in rat poo.

He grinned. '_God, I missed this life!_'

"_How you holdin' up, Red?_"

"_Fine, Cyborg, just fine._"

His excitement must have slipped into his voice, judging on the Sorceress' next comment.

"_You're loving this, aren't you?_"

"_Sure am, Raven, sure am._"

His partners-in-crime were quiet.

"_You guys okay?_"

"_Yeah._"

"_Fine._"

"_We're good, Red._"

He frowned. What were they being so dodgy for?

"_If you say so…_"

More silence, and he shook his head, continuing until the vent came to a sudden stop.

He frowned. '_What the…?_'

"Well, gentlemen, as you are no doubt aware by now, no doctor of any sort can help you with your current…ailment." A familiarly oily voice said, sounding even oilier than usual.

"Damn you Epsilon, just tell us what you want!" An angry voice wheezed.

"I should think that was obvious." The oily voice sneered.

"You're already the second richest man on Earth. What more do you want?" Another voice said, followed by a harsh cough.

The first voice became less amused. "I should think _that_ was obvious as well."

"Why you selfish—you're going to kill all of us so you can become _the_ richest man on Earth?" Yet another voice gasped hoarsely.

"Something like that, yes."

"So, what, you expect us to sign our companies over to you in our wills?"

A snicker. "Something like that, yes." The first voice said again.

"And if we don't?" The second voice rasped.

"Well, I would _hate_ for your families to contract this illness, too…"

"You—"

"Not to mention that whichever one of you impresses me the most will get the antidote. There's only enough for _one_ of you, after all."

In the intense silence that followed this declaration, he heard a soft sloshing sound, like liquid in a small bottle or vial. He smirked as he heard a clink of glass, like the vial (or whatever it was) was being set on a table.

"Oh, and gentlemen, you shouldn't forget that not only will Bruce Wayne soon be joining you in your…situation, but none of you has more than three days to make your decision."

He heard whispered grumbles pass through the other men in the room.

'_Time to do the 'hero' thing._'

He kicked through the vent screen and found himself landing right in front of That Man, on a table surrounded by several coughing businessmen, though the room he was in looked more like a laboratory than a place to hold a business meeting.

"Wow, all this just for lil ol' me?" He asked, feigning embarrassment and putting a hand to his chest. "Epsilon, my dear old friend, I'm flattered."

"Red X!" That Man roared after getting over his shock, snatching at a vial that had sitting in front of him on the table.

He smirked and plucked it right out of That Man's hands.

God, how he loved stupid businessmen and their naiveté when it came to stopping thieves—who in their right mind grabbed the very thing they _had_ to know was what the thief was going after?

As if that could stop a _good_ thief—it did little more than point the object out for them, which in turn only made the job that much easier! No time wasted searching for the thing!

"Thanks for everything, Methuss, you're a real doll. And, uh, you guys go see Bruce Wayne about this antidote—tell him Red X sent you. Once he stops fuming about rude youngsters he ought to help you out." He said, and shot out of the room with a laugh.

"_Hey Titans, I could use that diversion of yours right about now._"

"SOMEONE GET HIM!" He heard That Man yell, and knew the others had heard it, too.

"_You got it, Red!_"

"WHY ISN'T ANYONE GOING AFTER HIM!"

The guard who he'd seen standing by the door answered sheepishly. "We're trying, sir, but there's been a disturbance on the other side of a building by three figures dressed in our guards' uniforms! And the head guard has completely disappeared!"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THEM! JUST GET RED X!"

Then he was out of earshot, laughing all the way as he sidestepped or X'd (meaning he used one of his X-shaped gadgets on) all the guards who tried to stop him (there weren't many, which he attributed to his accomplices' distraction).

The others met him at the front of the building in Cyborg's car, looking to have just arrived there themselves.

"Looks like we're home free, eh?" The Original asked with a smirk.

"We aren't home free 'til we're out of Bludhaven, and don't forget we still have to pick up my bike." He replied. "Step on it, Cyborg. And for God's sake, don't make this _too_ easy on them by yelling your catchphrase!"

"You got it, Red!" Cyborg stepped on it, refraining (rather huffily) from yelling 'booyah!'

"I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS, DAWSON!" That Man's portly figure came running and huffing out of the building.

"Go ahead and try, murderer!" He yelled back, and then they rounded a corner and couldn't see the building anymore.

"Can we get out of these clothes yet?" The Sorceress asked, eyeing her uniform disdainfully.

"Not until we're home free." He replied as they pulled up with a screech in front of Tandi's apartment. "You riding with me again?"

"Not on your life."

"I was actually talking about my bike, but if you insist—"

"Just go!" She shoved him out of the car, scowling as he laughed at her and leapt onto his bike, jerking the helmet over his head and kicking the bike so it roared to life.

They tore out of the city, and this time he allowed himself the pleasure of listening to only the blood and adrenaline rushing past his ears.

(THE RUSH)


	39. The Beginning of The End

_**Disclaimer:** Nothing's mine but the plot, Neo, Nemo, and to some degree Rush! And the clones and Methuss belong to a friend of mine! So there!_

"Back already?" The Businessman asked skeptically, eyeing the four of them with a slight curl in his lip.

"Yep." He held up the vile of seemingly innocent liquid. "Would've been back sooner, but these guys came along and for some odd reason they think they need a good night's rest before breaking into one of the highest secured buildings in the world. Amateurs—go figure, right?"

The Businessman gave him a strange look, as if trying to figure out just how serious he was about that statement. "Right…" His usual contempt returned to his voice. "Just hurry up and give that to Lucius before you break it."

"What, no 'job well done'? No pat on the back?" He asked, feigning injury. "I'm hurt, Bruce, deeply and sorely hurt."

The Businessman's eyes narrowed. "Are you high?"

"On the rush, maybe." Cyborg snickered.

"Trust me, Brucie, I'm always like this after a heist." He grinned.

"Take that mask off, Red X…um, Rush. It's disconcerting to see you in it." The Kid said as he exited the mansion. "And quit egging Bruce on, if you don't mind."

"I do, but since it's you, I'll reign myself in." He said, obligingly taking the mask off.

"Red X?" The Businessman gave him a hard glare. "_You're_ Red X?"

"I was." He nodded, smirking and batting his eyes at the infuriated multi-billionaire. "Did you like the note I left you last time, Brucie?"

"It _was_ you! I should turn you in right now!"

"Go ahead." He shrugged. "Don't forget, even my fellow Titans couldn't catch me, and your dear Batman didn't even know I was here until after I was long gone. You expect the police to be able to do any better? Besides, I'm a good guy now. Let's let bygones be bygones."

"Maybe once you've returned all of the chips you've stolen from me." The Businessman snarled.

"All this over a bag of chips? Temper, temper, Brucie." He laughed loudly as the Businessman started to curse and ducked inside the mansion before he could be yelled at or reprimanded. "Yo, Foxx, I got the antidote! And considering the conditions under which I stole it, you're gonna need to make a lot more of it, fast!"

The Engineer took the vile from him gingerly, nodding to show he'd heard what had been said as he stuck the vile into some sort of machine that whirred and buzzed for a few minutes.

"It's got the formula now, all we have to do is get the components." The Engineer said, removing the vile.

"Just tell me where to get it and I'm there." He said, holding up the mask to show his meaning.

"Dude, we're in the mansion of the richest man _in the WORLD_, and you wanna go steal this stuff?" The Comic Relief asked disbelievingly as he and the others entered the room.

He made a face. "Stealing is what I _do_."

The Sorceress snatched the mask from him. "Saving people is what you do, _Rush_." She corrected him, arching an eyebrow at him.

He blinked at her. "But…but I…and…"

"Looks like someone's finally realizing what being a hero really means." Cyborg chuckled.

"You okay, dude?" The Comic Relief asked.

"S-stealing is the only thing I know how to do." He said, wavering on his feet.

"Perhaps you should do the sitting down, Friend Rush." The Dolt said sympathetically, patting his shoulder soothingly.

He sat. "I-it's all I've ever done…I guess it just hit me…"

"You know how to fight, and most of the time you seem to be able to tell the difference between right and wrong." The Kid said.

"Yeah, but…coming into this, I never really considered…y'know, doing it for good." He admitted almost guiltily. "At least, not seriously."

"But you are now?" The Sorceress asked.

"Well…sort of, I guess…" He shook his head as if to clear it. "Sorry, it's just…weird."

"Don't worry, that's how I felt for a while after Trigon was defeated." The Sorceress said.

"Hm."

"Daddy!"

He stood just in time to nearly be bowled over by an enthusiastic Jaelyn, who was closely followed by the Squirt.

"Hello, angel. Miss me?" He asked, twirling her around.

"Of course I did, daddy!" She replied, kissing his cheek. "Did you miss me?"

"Every waking moment, angel." He assured her. "How's Neo holding up?"

The Engineer, who had disappeared sometime during his short breakdown, reappeared now. "I just administered the antidote, and it seems to be working. His fever is gone and he doesn't seem to be in as much pain anymore, so hopefully he'll wake up soon."

"He got rid of the failsafe while you were gone, too, big brother!" The Squirt added. "So Neo will be all better when he wakes up!"

"Good." He looked up at the Engineer and bowed a little. "Thank you for your help."

"My pleasure."

"Mhm." He paused. "By chance, did you happen to keep the blood sample of Neo's you took?"

The Engineer nodded. "And yours. Why?"

"I'm just interested in his. Could I get it, a computer, and a room where I'll have complete silence for a few hours?"

The Engineer exchanged a glance with the Titans, the Businessman, and the Butler. "I suppose."

"Tell us why, first." The Businessman said.

"Now where's the fun in that, Brucie? You'll find out soon enough."

"Red X—"

"Actually, it's Rush at the moment." He said as he set Jaelyn down. "About that room?"

"It's alright, Bruce." The Kid said. "He won't cause any trouble."

He snorted. "Of course I won't. I don't have enough equipment with me to do that, so unless you've got the Batcave stashed around this mansion someplace, trouble—for once—ain't gonna happen." He glanced at the kids, the Comic Relief, and the Dolt, and amended his statement. "Or I won't be the cause of it, at least."

The Businessman's mouth pulled into a taut frown, but he nodded sharply. "Alfred."

"At once, sir." The Butler replied, apparently knowing what the Businessman wanted from just that one word. "If you'll come with me, Master Rush."

He nodded at everyone and saluted the Businessman as he followed the Butler out of the room.

(THE RUSH)


	40. The Betrayal

_**Disclaimer:** Nothing's mine but the plot, Neo, Nemo, and to some degree Rush! And the clones and Methuss belong to a friend of mine! So there!_

Three hours later, he stepped out of the lab.

"Finally done?" Cyborg asked.

He nodded. "Finally ready to go after Methuss, more like."

"There's a problem with that." The Sorceress said.

"What's that?"

She and Cyborg pointed to the television, which everyone else was staring at.

_"Police are attributing the explosion to the previously assumed dead thief, Red X." A woman on screen said, a microphone held to her mouth. "He reportedly broke in earlier today with three accomplices, but the police have yet to divulge what the four stole, if anything. Though Police Chief Gordon has told us that Red X, in all of his reported heists, had never harmed anyone to this degree before, we must all assume that he has finally gone off the deep end. Now all that's left to do is mourn the loss of Bludhaven's benefactor and President of Methuss Industries, Epsilon Methuss, and pray for the health of the other businessmen rescued from within the burning building. Back to you, Chuck." _

"You _blew up_ Methuss Industries?" The Businessman demanded angrily.

"Of course not. I wouldn't know how to set a bomb of that size if it came with step-by-step instructions!" He said. "The only bombs I know how to use are small scale ones to set the Titans or any other would-be heroes off guard! Nothing big enough to blow up a building!"

"How do we know that?" The Kid asked.

"Because I'm telling you. Trust me, kid, I'd much rather personally kick Methuss' butt and throw him in jail so I can see him gassed for killing Tandi and Kylan. Didn't I already tell you guys I don't believe in killing people? I'll leave that to the government, thanks!"

"You could easily have lied!"

"Yeah, and Raven would easily have picked up on it!" He retorted. "The only blood I have on my hands is Tandi and Kylan's, and I wasn't even the ones to kill _them_. I live with enough guilt knowing I'm the reason they got killed without setting a bomb! Even if I _was_ gonna kill Methuss I wouldn't do it by bombing him! You know how many innocent people are dead now?"

"You can quit with the innocent do-gooder act, _Red X_! I'm sick of your lies! I don't know how you got around Raven's powers, but apparently the 'perfect thief' found a way."

"Get it through your thick, paranoid skull, kid, I didn't get around them and I'm not acting! You really think _I_ would act this way by _choice_? You're supposed to be one of the smart ones, so use your head for once instead of being a worse idiot than Beast Boy and jumping to conclusions!"

"I did. We all talked it over and we're in agreement. We're turning you in, X."

His jaw dropped and he looked over at the other Titans, who shied guiltily away from his gaze.

"You…"

"You had plenty of time to do it." Cyborg said, an oddly mixed expression of anger and shame on his face. "I wish I could say different, but…"

"You lied to us, dude. You lied." The Comic Relief said, obviously depressed. "Just like Terra."

The Original just shook his head, and the Dolt refused to meet his gaze at all.

"I'm sorry." It was the first time he had ever heard so much emotion in the Sorceress' voice.

"Alfred is taking Jaelyn and Nemo back to the orphanage, and Neo will follow as soon as he's awake and recovered." The Kid said. "Now turn around and put your hands behind your back."

He took a step back.

"Please do not try to run, Enemy Red X." The Dolt said, eyes and hands glowing green. "I do not wish to fight you, but I will if it is necessary."

He shook his head, pulling his mask over his face, though this time its familiar weight felt more like a burden. "Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, Star. I'm sorry all of you feel that way. But I'm not _quite_ ready to go to jail yet."

"X, please." The Sorceress' voice shook, and he could've sworn he saw a tear sparkle in the light from beneath her hood.

"I'll do you all a favor and turn myself in once I can take Methuss with me. Maybe then, and after you've gotten your heads out of your rears, you'll realize that you 'do-gooders' are the real bad guys here." He looked at the Sorceress. "And _you_…I put my heart on the line for you and you crushed it…and don't give me that look, like I'm the one at fault here. This rests on _your_ shoulders." Addressing all of them. "This rests on _all_ of your shoulders." He put a finger to the button on his belt. "Traitors."

And he disappeared.

(THE RUSH)

_A note to my faithful readers,_

_I would like to take this time to apologize for any misconceptions I might have caused in the prologue for this story._

_I forgot to mention that while I was stopped from stealing and being the 'greatest thief of all time', I didn't stop being the 'bad guy'…at least in some people's eyes._

_And you did read correctly. Raven did teach me that emotions aren't such bad things, and I still hold the belief that they aren't _so_ bad. You see, without gaining the emotions she taught me—the anger and betrayal and sorrow (even in light of what happened with Tandi and Kylan I can't truly say that I knew these emotions)—I would never have understood how to appreciate the emotions other have unknowingly given and I have unknowingly received: Tandi and Kylan's sacrifice, Jaelyn's whole-hearted love, Nemo's trust and awe, and even Neo's selflessness._

_So, yeah, that's how it happened. And a lot more happened after that…_

_But that's a different story altogether._

_-Caleb Dawson_

(THE END)

A/N: … Ehehe, please don't kill me? And, yeah, it does say 'The End'. The Rush has finally come to an end…but don't worry, I plan on having the sequel out soon! I just have to work out exactly what I want to have happen, and a few other minor details…such as how to start it…;

:cough: Anyhow, keep a look out for the sequel! At most, I hope to have it started by sometime around Christmas!

I'm SO glad you guys have enjoyed my story so much! I've enjoyed reading all of your reviews, and am VERY grateful for all of your comments! Thanks so much! And I would just like to thank you all for never flaming me, because that means a lot to me as a writer! I hope you guys will stick around for the sequel (whenever I get it typed up and whatnot…;)! And here's to it being as loved as this one! See ya next!

All my love,

Poison Tonic LX


	41. News On The Sequel

Final Author's Note: ...Hi, guys! I know you've all been waiting patiently for news of the sequel, so here I am! With news about the sequel. ;;; Stalling for time before you guys kill me...

Okay, here goes, then...torches and pitchforks at ready? Good...heh...there isn't going to be a sequel. Sort of.

The thing is, I've decided to turn 'The Rush' into an actual, honest-to-God original book. I've already started rewriting it, and asked permission from the guy who helped me make up Methuss and who owns Maxwell and the original four clones to be able to use them, so now I'm goint to write a prequel (because there are so many Titan-related jokes and whatnot...it took me nearly a month to resign myself to the fact that I was going to have to commit mental suicide and write a prequel) to set everything up, re-vamp the whole thing to fit in with that, and, finally, write a sequel. Now, before everyone goes nuts, I _can_ post a sort of...outline of what I have planned for the sequel if you guys want, since I can twist it to fit back into the Titans universe, but it would be a one-shot and not very detailed. On the upside, you guys would know what was going to happen before the book comes out, which probably won't happen for quite a while. And I promise I'll write to tell you guys when the prequel and other books and whatnot are coming out.

I know I've been a real you-know-what for not breaking the news to you sooner, but I've only known that I wanted to do this for sure for about a month or so, and I was still playing with the idea of writing up a sequel for you guys. I'm really sorry, but I'm afraid that would be way too much work with everything else I've got coming up with college and everything, and eventually I'll have to take all of this down so as to publish my book. So...in short...I'm leaving 'The Rush' up until I graduate in June, for anyone who's still reading it and so everyone can read this, and then it's coming down.

I hope you guys don't hate me _too_ much, and I hope you'll read my books when they do come out. Love always! -PTLX

NOTICE: After hearing you guys' reviews and giving it much thought, I'm leaving 'The Rush' up for good. Or, at least until I actually publish. I'll let you guys know when that is and whatnot, but I doubt it'll be anytime soon. Love always (again)! -PTLX


End file.
